ABSTRACT
The American concept of deterrence during the Cold War can best be defined as an essentially defensive stance intended to sustain the status quo. Deterrence seeks to persuade one's opponent that the costs/risks of a given course of action might outweigh the expected benefits. During the Cold War, American nuclear deterrent strategy envisioned: the threat to use nuclear weapons first if necessary against Soviet conventional force superiority; and the maintenance of an adequate second, or even third, strike capability in case deterrence fails. In the post-Cold War era, US nuclear deterrent strategy still opposes adaptation of the proposed policy of "no first use" of nuclear weapons. US deterrent strategy warns that any use of nuclear or non-conventional Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) will be met with by the use of "equivalent" weaponry or some form of "proportionate" response. The political movement for Assured Security shared the abolitionist beliefs of the anti-nuclear movement but sought homeland protection versus potential missile threats.
