Pages

14 September 2024

Cold War Lessons for Revitalizing Deterrence

Christopher J. Griffin

In the three years since Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin first described the Biden Administration’s commitment to “integrated deterrence,”[1] America’s authoritarian adversaries have seized the initiative. The hallmarks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s proxy war against Israel have been both the atrocities committed by the aggressors and the emergence of an entente of revisionist powers, including China and North Korea, that has enabled their aggression.[2] Combined, these powers are on track to deploy a nuclear force that more than doubles that of the United States by this decade’s end.[3] A recent joint patrol by Russian and Chinese strategic bombers underscored the dangers that lie beyond that threshold.[4] In the meantime, both Russia[5] and Iran[6] carry out terror campaigns against the West while China dials up its threats against Taiwan and the Philippines.[7] From the gray zone to the strategic nuclear balance, the U.S. deterrence posture is eroding.


No comments:

Post a Comment