July 6, 2016
Three Reasons Why the U.S. Needs a Replacement Nuclear Cruise Missile
By Josh Wiitala
Former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Andy Weber argue in an October op-ed that the new Long Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile program is both unnecessary and potentially destabilizing. Several follow-up pieces, as well as a series of congressional op-eds, largely echo these same arguments. On the other side of the issue, several response articles and a letter from the Air Force Association contend that the original op-ed misunderstands LRSO’s role within the U.S. deterrent and misinterprets relevant history on the topic of strategic stability.
In response to this ongoing debate, this article provides a brief overview of why LRSO is both vital to U.S. deterrence posture and an indispensable tool for maintaining stability in a dynamic strategic environment. There are three main reasons why LRSO is critical to national defense.
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