Nuclear Strategies and American Foreign Policy

Abstract

Amid great controversy, the Reagan administration has undertaken an ambitious programme of modernising the US strategic forces. Some of the new weapons are offensive in character. They include the land-based MX, the submarine-launched Trident 11, cruise missiles, and two new bombers-the B-1 and the 'Stealth'-to carry them. In addition, new ground-launched cruise missiles are to be stationed in Europe along with a medium-range land-based missile, the Pershing 11. These are all counterforce weapons. They threaten Soviet retaliatory forces. The new systems enhance the possibility of striking first and raise the possibility-at least in theory-of limiting the damage that the Soviet Union will be able to inflict on the US in response.