Volume 29 Issue 4, Jul-Aug 2015 Published July 1, 2015 Air & Space Power Journal, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL Senior Leader Perspective Strategic Deterrence for the Future Adm Cecil D. Haney, USN Although strategic deterrence is underpinned and reinforced by our nuclear capabilities, it is more than the nuclear triad. This article reviews the diverse, complex, and uncertain security environment we currently face and the investments that both... Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons: The Neglected Stepchild of Nuclear Arms Control Dr. George W. Ullrich / Dr. James Scouras / Dr. Michael Frankel A succession of arms control treaties has reduced strategic nuclear arsenals dramatically and, precisely because of that success, the United States must think very carefully about the next steps in this process. Since peak deployments in 1971 of... Editorial Deterrence in Professional Military Education Paul I. Bernstein This article examines how strategic deterrence is addressed in professional military education, suggesting that overall, contemporary deterrence challenges are treated neither in depth nor systematically as a major learning objective. In light of... Feature Articles Diplomatic Counterterrorist Deterrence: Moving beyond Military Means SSgt Megan J. Munoz, USAF / Dr. Matthew Crosston This article examines diplomatic deterrence strategies as an alternative to military-centric operations for the purpose of countering terrorism. Such strategies are designed to increase international security and build lasting partnerships at the... The Iranian Missile Threat to Air Bases: A Distant Second to China's Conventional Deterrent Jacob L. Heim This article presents an operational analysis of the ability of Iranian and Chinese conventionally armed theater ballistic missiles (TBM) to threaten air bases that might be used by the United States in the event of war. The analysis demonstrates... Deterrence in a Multipolar World: Prompt Attacks, Regional Challenges, and US-Russian Deterrence Dr. Stephen J. Cimbala The character of nuclear deterrence in the twenty-first century, compared to the Cold War years, will undergo important changes, even if its basic nature does not. The potential for the spread of nuclear weapons among regional actors in the Middle... Views US Nuclear Weapons and Deterrence: Realist versus Utopian Thinking Dr. Keith B. Payne This article examines how the long-standing conceptual divide in the study of international relations separating utopians and realists is reflected in their respective views of nuclear weapons and deterrence--and, ultimately, the modernization of US... Increasing Uncertainty: The Dangers of Relying on Conventional Forces for Nuclear Deterrence Jennifer Bradley Arguably, Russia and China are the two most important countries with which the United States has a nuclear deterrent relationship. This article examines the goal of the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report to rely less on nuclear weapons... Download Full Edition
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