ABSTRACT
Introduction Russia’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine force has reportedly been operating at levels that might be judged as insufficient for force viability and perhaps also as dangerous for deterrence. The sufficiency of Russia’s sea-based deterrent cannot be addressed in isolation, however. This chapter considers the issue of Russia’s maritime strategic nuclear force in a broader military and political context. It also provides some analysis of how the absence of the sea-based leg of a nuclear triad might or might not affect nuclear crisis stability. Finally, it considers the entire issue not only from the standpoint of deterrence, old style, but also from the perspective of fitting deterrence issues into the more important context of nonproliferation.
