21st Century Deterrence
By Bennie J. Davis III, Airman Magazine / Published January 11, 2021
Fort Meade, MD --
Since the employment of nuclear weapons to end WWII, deterrence has been a cornerstone of U.S. military strategy. The display of preeminent military power 75 years ago ushered in security to international order, enabled the economic prosperity of the United States and its allies and provided a strategic deterrence to prevent major power conflict.
The Defense Department defines deterrence as, “the prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.” In theory, it’s the threat of force not the actual use of force, communicated to an adversary. There are two basic methods to deter an adversary. One is deterrence by punishment, or plainly, “if you attack us, we’ll destroy you.” The other is deterrence by denial. This method focuses on making the enemy’s objective more difficult to achieve, by rendering the target harder to take, harder to keep or both during the act of aggression.
Historically, the United States provides for the security of its allies by threatening a nuclear response in the event of an enemy attack. This threat of retaliation serves as the foundation for what is defined as extended deterrence and sometimes described as providing a nuclear umbrella for our partners.
In the 20th century and throughout the Cold War, U.S. deterrence primarily focused on the nuclear capabilities of the Soviet Union and the doctrine of mutual assured destruction on both sides.
https://www.airmanmagazine.af.mil/Features/Display/Article/2604068/21st-century-deterrence/
