US Nuclear Deterrence

Nuclear Parity

Nuclear parity (i.e. possessing the same amount of nuclear power) is not required for nuclear deterrence to work. This was clearly demonstrated in The Cuban Missile Crisis: the United States threatened to use nuclear weapons on Cuba if the Soviet Union did not remove its nuclear missiles. However, in fear of retaliation, the United States never struck, even though the United States was in possession of 17 times more nuclear weapons than the Soviet Union.

Figure 1. Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Mushroom Cloud, Charles Levy, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons

US Nuclear Deterrence Policy

The United States Nuclear Deterrence Policy is ever-fluctuating. Its details may differ in every administration depending on the geopolitical climate. However, the central policy remains relatively unchanged; the United States maintains that it will only use nuclear weapons in extreme situations to defend its interests and its allies' interests, while still engaging in nuclear hedging. Additionally, throughout the years, nuclear deterrence policy has evolved from wanting to cause the maximum amount of damage possible to just trying to cause the most damage to the government or military forces of the opposing party.

Nuclear Umbrella

Part of US nuclear policy is to try to reduce the number of nuclear states. The US does this by providing extended deterrence, called the "nuclear umbrella," to allies within Europe, Asia, and the Pacific under NATO. In order to be under the US nuclear umbrella, the states must agree to not develop a nuclear weapon program. In return, the US provides these allied states with nuclear protection. Therefore, it is crucial for the United States to have a robust nuclear deterrence strategy to ensure that these non-nuclear states don't set out to create a nuclear program of their own.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

The United States believes in an effective nuclear non-proliferation international policy.

To combat nuclear proliferation, the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was created and signed by 191 countries, including the United States. The treaty's main goal was to prevent nuclear states from giving non-nuclear states nuclear weapons or encouraging them to develop a nuclear program. The United States has stipulated that in order for allied states to receive nuclear defense from the US, they must meet the terms set in the NPT.

Launch on Warning

Another policy the United States has in place is "launch on warning" or "launch under attack." This policy allows strategic commanders to launch a nuclear weapon if they believe an attack is currently underway. This is one of the US's most controversial policies because false warnings can and have occurred due to equipment or human errors. The US may inadvertently launch the first nuclear weapon. This policy, in turn, causes adversaries to also consider this policy and may actually launch first toward the US, creating a situation where everyone has their hand on the trigger.

US Nuclear Deterrence Strategy

Like nuclear deterrence policy, the United States's strategy is constantly adjusting to meet the needs of the current geopolitical climate.

Information Superioririty

The world is increasingly relying on computing; this is not any different for nuclear weapons delivery systems. For example, a cyber command center could help deter a plan to hack into the US's nuclear capabilities meant to cause nuclear havoc. On the other hand, it may also present the image that the US has the ability to hack into someone else's nuclear capabilities as well. To ensure information superiority, the US uses Cyber Command and Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites.

The Cyber command helps direct and coordinate cyberspace operations to further the nation's interests, while the DSP satellites detect heat from missiles and provide a warning for an attack.

Active Defense Capabilities

The United States has employed a ballistic missile defense system to strengthen its active defense capabilities. This defense system is meant to counter ballistic missiles by destroying the missiles and any warheads they may be carrying.

Enhancing Nuclear Security

The Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Laboratory uses the application of nuclear sciences to help enhance national security. The NNSA does this by researching, developing, and producing nuclear programs in response to the Department of Defense's requirements, including developing low-yield warheads (lower explosive power than nuclear bombs).

Ensuring Decision Authority

The US ensures decision authority through its Strategic Command (STRATCOM) Global Operations Center (GOC). The GOC provides global situation awareness to the STRATCOM commander, so the commander can make decisions regarding the operation of the US strategic forces. The GOC is housed in a very secure facility, ensuring that it is always in operation, even in dire circumstances. If there is ever a day in which a nuclear weapon was to be deployed by a US adversary, this facility would have the ability to remain operational due to its impregnability and provide very critical information in a time of crisis, which in turn might allow the US to counterstrike.

Figure 2. Atlas ICBM, USAF, PD US Air Force, Wikimedia Commons

US Nuclear Deterrence System

In order to reduce the risk of an enemy attacking and forcing the United States to use excessive measures, the US created a triad nuclear delivery system composed of sea, air, and ground-launched missiles.

Each part of the triad has a particular function and is meant to work complementarily:

• Sea-launched missiles are constantly patrolling and on the move, making them hard to track.
• Air-launched missiles are flexible because of their ability to be deployed in multiple ways.
• Ground-launched missiles are more responsive due to their placement in hundreds of silos, able to be deployed within minutes.

The triad is controlled by a nuclear command, control, and communications system (NC3). Its function is to detect attacks, provide adaptive nuclear planning, provide decision-making conferencing, receive presidential orders about nuclear strikes, and enable the management and direction of forces. The Triad and NC3 give the United States a comprehensive and strategic nuclear deterrence system.

US Nuclear Deterrence Forces

The US nuclear deterrence forces are made up of strategic nuclear delivery systems and weapons (this is the TRIAD); tactical nuclear delivery systems (which deliver nuclear weapons on short ranges); nuclear weapons laboratories; and a Command, control, communications, and early warning system.

Today, the United States has a variety of nuclear and tactical force stockpiles. Many countries guard information about the number of nuclear weapons. However, in 2021, President Joe Biden disclosed the number of nuclear weapons in the United States arsenal, sharing that the United States has 6,185 nuclear warheads in its inventory (as of 2020).

Figure 3. Inspection of B53 Nuclear Bomb, National Nuclear Security Administration, PD US DOE, WikimediaCommons

Challenges to US Nuclear Deterrence Strategy

The government faces some critical challenges regarding its nuclear deterrence strategy.

Geopolitical Environment

Today there are more nuclear powers than ever, and the number is still growing, making it hard to understand what drives each of them and what their goals are (unlike during the Cold War, when the US was focused exclusively on Russia). Today, there is less predictability on what these players are doing or are going to do.

Aging Nuclear Forces

The US has lacked in modernizing its nuclear programs compared to China and Russia. Many nuclear weapons are aging and deteriorating. The NC3 system is unable to meet the demands of current threats due to its aging components. Many weapons and delivery systems have a service life and need to be replaced.

According to many, the US would have to quickly modernize its nuclear forces to keep up with the current geopolitical climate and have the ability to respond adequately.