Mutual Assured Destruction

December 3, 2009 posted by OldWarrior

nuclear blastMutual Assured Destruction (MAD) is the strategy which probably saved the world from nuclear destruction during the cold war.

According to this concept in the event of nuclear war between two nuclear powers both would be totally and completely destroyed. In other words they would both be wiped off of the face of the earth. In order for this strategy to be effective for you your enemy had to have no doubt in his mind that you posessed a massive nuclear arsenal and that you were well able to use it.

This was the reason for the massive nuclear buildups of the US and Russia during the cold war. Both sides wanted to make sure that in the event of war that they could make a second strike as devastating as the first. Another term for mutual assured destruction is nuclear deterrence. http://www.militaryringexpress.com


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