ABSTRACT

A nuclear war policy is a strategy to implement nuclear warfighting consistent with a state's perceived security interests. A nuclear deterrence policy is a strategy of using threats of nuclear war to prevent another state's (nuclear) aggression or actions otherwise threatening to its vital interests. Nuclear strategy thus encompasses both kinds of policy. This entry explores some of the core facets of nuclear war and deterrence policy, with a special concentration on the history of the United States’ nuclear strategy.