Transcript Defense Policy - HCC Learning Web

GOVT 2305. Module 16
DEFENSE POLICY
Deterrence
During the Cold War,
the organizing principle
of American defense
policy was deterrence,
which was the ability of
a nation to prevent an
attack against itself or
its allies by threat of
massive retaliation,
which is the concept
that the United States
will strike back against
an aggressor with
overwhelming force.
“Peace Through Strength”
Weaker nations would be
deterred from attacking the
United States because
America enjoyed military
superiority. In the
meantime, the United
States and the Soviet Union
would be deterred from
attacking each other
because both countries
possessed nuclear arsenals
capable of destroying the
other.
Mutual Assured Destruction
Many defense theorists believe
that nuclear weapons promoted
world peace during the Cold War
because no national leader
acting rationally would risk
initiating a nuclear holocaust.
This concept was formalized in
the doctrine of mutual assured
destruction (MAD), which was
the belief that the United States
and the Soviet Union would be
deterred from launching a
nuclear assault against each
other for fear of being destroyed
in a general nuclear war.
September 11, 2001
Why didn’t deterrence
work to prevent the
terror attack on
September 11, 2001?
When deterrence fails
Deterrence is an
imperfect defense
strategy in the post-Cold
War world because of
rogue states and,
especially, terrorist
organizations.
Rogue States
A rogue state is a nation
that threatens world
peace by sponsoring
international terrorism
and promoting the
spread of weapons of
mass destruction.
The United States
considers North Korea and
Iran to be rogue states.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Weapons of mass
destruction (WMD) are
nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapons that
are designed to inflict
widespread military and
civilian casualties.
Iran and Hezbollah
For example, Iran
supports international
terrorism by providing
arms and money to
Hezbollah, an Islamic
organization based in
Lebanon that has carried
out terrorist attacks
against Israel.
Israel worries that Iran would give
nuclear weapons to Hezbollah.
Terrorist Organizations
Terrorist organizations
are unlikely to be
deterred by threat of
massive retaliation
because they lack a home
base that the United
States could attack.
Military Preemption
President George W. Bush
responded to the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001
by announcing that the
United States had adopted
the policy of military
preemption, which is the
defense policy that declares
that the United States will
attack nations or groups that
represent a potential threat
to the security of the United
States.
War with Iraq
The American attack against
Iraq to overthrow the regime
of Saddam Hussein was the
first application of the
doctrine of military
preemption. The United
States went to war not
because Iraq posed an
immediate threat to national
security, but because of the
possibility that Iraq could give
weapons of mass destruction
to terrorists.
Iran and Military Preemption
The United States and its
allies believe that Iran is
trying to build a nuclear
weapon. American
policymakers worry that an
Iran armed with nuclear
weapons would bully its
neighbors, perhaps setting off
regional arms races with
other nations rushing to
acquire nuclear weapons
themselves to counter the
Iranian threat. Should the
United States strike
preemptively?
Defense Spending & Force Structure
Global Defense Spending
Asymmetric Warfare
No nation is capable of
challenging the United States
in terms of air power, naval
power, or ground power, at
least not in direct conflict.
Instead, the United States
sometimes faces enemies
employing guerrilla tactics in
asymmetric warfare, which is
conflict between belligerents
whose military capabilities
differ significantly.
Strategic (Nuclear) Forces
The United States has
5,200 nuclear weapons.
More than half are
currently active and
deployed, ready to be
carried to their targets by
planes or launched from
submarines, ships, or
from silos.
Conventional (Non-Nuclear) Forces
For decades, the United
States maintained a large
standing army in order to
defend against a possible
conventional arms attack
by the Soviet Union in
Western Europe. Today,
U.S. armed forces rely on
speed, mobility, and
firepower rather than a
large army.
Drone Warfare
The United States is using
armed drones to take out
suspected terrorists in
Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Syria, Iraq, and the
Arabian Peninsula. Why
is drone warfare
controversial?
What You Have Learned
 What is the difference
between deterrence and
preemption?
 What is Mutual Assured
Destruction (MAD)? Why do
some observers believe it
helped preserve peace
during the cold war?
 What are rogue states and
failed states? Why are they
threats to American national
security?