Motherjones- many conservative politicians, and some moderate and progressive ones, have historically considered America's nuclear arsenal to be sacrosanct. After all, it's backed by a robust and expensive weapons complex that keeps legions of contractors in business. But away from Capitol Hill, American academics and military officers are getting beyond the sound bites and provincial interests, and asking the impolitic question: In the post-Soviet age can the United States do as much—or more—with fewer nukes? The answer seems to be: Yes, we can.
On the eve of the New START signing in 2010, three Air Force researchers argued in a military journal that the US should tweak its nuclear strategy to focus on "proportional deterrence"—the idea that America doesn't need to annihilate its enemies out of existence but instead just needs enough firepower to threaten an enemy's most valuable targets. It's straight out of Clausewitz: You can win merely by taking away the adversary's will to fight—like that moment at the end of WarGames, when the self-aware missile-launching computer realizes that global thermonuclear war is as futile as tic-tac-toe:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
.... the idea is catching on among US strategists. "Small numbers of nuclear weapons produce dramatic effects," the Air Force authors wrote. "In fact, the United States could address military utility concerns with only 311 nuclear weapons in its nuclear force structure while maintaining a stable deterrence."... a spate of scientists, researchers, and ex-government analysts have come to the same conclusion: America's 5,000-plus active warheads are far more numerous and costly than is necessary to keep the nation safe.
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