- Nuclear deterrent
A nuclear deterrent is the phrase used to refer to a country's nuclear weapons arsenal, when considered in the context of
deterrence theory .Deterrence theory holds that nuclear weapons are intended to deter other states from attacking with their nuclear weapons, through the promise of retaliation and
mutually assured destruction (MAD). It can also be assigned as a response to an attack by conventional forces; for example, the doctrine ofmassive retaliation threatened to launch US nuclear weapons in response to Soviet attacks.In order for a nuclear deterrent to be successful, a country must preserve its
second-strike capability . A nuclear deterrent is sometimes composed of anuclear triad , as in the case of the nuclear weapons owned by theUnited States . Other countries, such as theUnited Kingdom , have only sea-based nuclear weapons.ee also
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first strike
*Deterrence theory
*Mutually assured destruction
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