Nuclear Deterrence in U.S.-Soviet Relations

The coauthor (with Colin Gray) of the widely noted "Victory is Possible" (Foreign Policy, 39) article puts here into greater detail his emphatic critique of "assured vulnerability." The present U.S. doctrine of deterrence based on offensive forces is seen as grossly inadequate following the loss of American superiority. It must be complemented, in Payne's view, by a damage limitation strategy including ballistic missile defenses.