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Former commander in chief of the United States Strategic Command, General Lee Butler, called for the abolition of nuclear weapons in 1996. He is one of few governmental voices to advocate for such a move.
The United States Department of Defense states that it provides full “deterrence to prevent catastrophic actions from our adversaries and they stand ready, if necessary, to deliver a decisive response, anywhere, anytime.”
In September 2024, the United States Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Cara Abercrombie stated: “Any nuclear attack by [North Korea] against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime.”
Since the Cold War, the United States’ position has been to prevent nuclear strikes, by asserting that the nation that conducts an initial strike will be subjected to a retaliatory strike.
The American threat to retaliate promises that retaliatory strikes by their government will, at least, produce the same or more damage as the first strike—or threatens to destroy their ‘enemy’ entirely.
General Lee Butler stated: “The bar of deterrence ratchets higher, igniting yet another cycle of trepidation, worst-case assumptions and ever-mounting levels of destructive capability.”
Interviews conducted with Soviet military leaders highlight how the American strategy of “second strike deterrence” was largely perceived as preparations for a first strike.
The American government has used nuclear weapons twice in its history. Both instances occurred during World War II, in 1945. Neither use was in retaliation to the use of attacks involving nuclear weapons.
Under the leadership of then-president Harry S. Truman, the United States government sought to end World War II as swiftly as possible in its favor.
The American government’s desire to have Japan surrender resulted in a devastating strategy that continues to mark the history of the ruthlessness of war.
On August 6, 1945, the first ever atomic bomb used in warfare, a uranium-235 fission bomb, hit Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb was dropped from a US B-29 bomber aircraft.
The attack killed at least 80,000 people instantly. Subsequent illness derived from exposure to the bombing, as well as grave injuries of survivors, lead to the deaths of another 60,000.
The second attack occurred just three days later. Dropped Nagasaki, Japan, the plutonium-239 bomb was of even greater destructive potency compared to the weapon dropped on Hiroshima.
Tens of thousands more were killed immediately. Months later, accounting for injuries and illness, the total death toll in Nagasaki reached around 80,000 people
Japan surrendered just a few days later following the devastating attacks, while the official end of World War II occurred in September 1945, following the Potsdam Declaration.
Today, the United States continues to invest and hold nuclear weaponry, including 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 14 Ohio-class submarines, as well as several long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bombers and stealth aircraft.
Long-range missiles are scheduled to be stationed in Germany by 2026 for “defensive purposes.” Critics suggest that the US deterrence strategy actually prepares for the launching of nuclear weapons, rather than a prevention of such.
The author of deterrence strategy, Thomas Schelling, suggests that before the ‘actual’ use of nuclear weapons, the United States should “demonstrate” their willingness to use them by, essentially, launching a few.
This idea, based on an interview with Schelling, suggests somehow that the only way to indicate a future willingness to use nuclear weapons is to use them.
This strategy might seem quite strange, as using weaponry seems to be an antithesis to preventing their use. Surely, launching nuclear weapons would provoke a response from the entity where they land.
What critics of nuclear deterrence state is that it assumes a sense of rationality between nations. General Butler states: “deterrence assumes that two countries locked in exchanging threats will maintain a rational frame.”
Yet, both in the examples of the historical use of nuclear arms and the environment of exchanged threats that we’ve witnessed among superpowers, we can see that times of conflict often provoke recklessness.
This is why critics of the deterrence strategy worry that a defensive preparation of nuclear arms that seeks to deter a first strike might actually do the opposite.
This is because, as noted in the interviews with former Soviet leaders, this preparation–to put nuclear weapons in place for a potential strike–may be perceived as a ‘first’ act of aggression.
If we can understand the United States' strategy of deterrence as a potential act of aggression, we can also begin to question if it deters anything at all, or if it may cause what it seeks to suppress.
Critics of nuclear weaponry argue that the only real deterrence is to encourage disarmament. If nuclear weapons are disarmed, that would result in the impossibility of their use.
Peace activists, as well as some political leaders, argue that the adoption of a worldwide “No First Use" policy is the only way for a nuclear war to be entirely prevented.
The United States has never had a “No First Use” policy in place, in contrast to nations like China, India, and even Russia at times.
In July 2024, China submitted a working paper to the United Nations, inviting the five nations that hold nuclear weapons to commit to a pledge of “No First Use.”
Sources: (History) (Smithsonian Institution) (BBC) (Boston Review) (Foreign Policy)
See also: How to stay safe immediately after a nuclear incident
Despite being the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons in war, since the Cold War the United States has maintained a position called "deterrence" in relation to its use of nuclear weapons. This gallery explores what deterrence actually means, how it is sometimes perceived by other nations, and what kind of actions can be taken to eliminate the possibility of nuclear warfare.
Curious? Click through to find out more.
Inside the US nuclear weapon detterence strategy
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Despite being the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons in war, since the Cold War the United States has maintained a position called "deterrence" in relation to its use of nuclear weapons. This gallery explores what deterrence actually means, how it is sometimes perceived by other nations, and what kind of actions can be taken to eliminate the possibility of nuclear warfare.
Curious? Click through to find out more.