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Article: Forging a path to a post-nuclear U.S. military.
- Article from:
- Issues in Science and Technology
- Article date:
- March 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 National Academy of Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For 50 years, nuclear weapons have been central to U.S. military strategy - an indispensable element in deterring and retaliating against an attack on U.S. territory. Now, six years after the end of the Cold War, it is time to question that centrality. In the years ahead, the utility of the U.S. nuclear arsenal will likely be eclipsed by the capabilities of a host of emerging conventional and electronic weapons; weapons that are highly precise and lethal but do not produce the horrific destruction of a nuclear bomb.
The development of these new weapons should pave the way for a more balanced U.S. strategic strike force that permits far less reliance on nuclear ...