The excerpt below is from an opinion article written by Dr. Peter Pry for The Hill, which originally appeared on January 24, 2019. The original article in its entirety can be read here.
U.S. modernization of its nuclear triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), missile submarines and bombers armed with safe, reliable and effective nuclear weapons, in numbers sufficient to maintain rough parity with at least the Russian nuclear triad, is imperative to the deterrence of world war and survival of the free world.
As proven during the long, dangerous trial of the Cold War:
- The triad of land- and sea-based missiles and bombers maximizes survivability, flexibility and credibility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent;
- U.S. rough numerical parity with Russian strategic nuclear warheads, deliverable to their homeland, is the absolute minimum necessary to deter the world’s most powerful nuclear menace from exploiting Moscow’s big advantages in conventional and tactical nuclear forces with aggression against overseas U.S. interests, allies and the United States itself;
- Any doubt about the safety, reliability and effectiveness of U.S. nuclear weapons significantly diminishes their deterrence and operational value.
Read the original article in its entirety here.
