Impact of a reduced nuclear weapons stockpile on strategic stability

Conference · Wed Mar 20 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5586880

Chrzanowski, P

This presentation is to discuss the impact of a reduced nuclear weapons stockpile on the strategic stability. Methodologies used to study strategic stability issues include what are basically strategic-force exchange models. These models are used to simulate a massive nuclear exchange in which one side attacks and the other side retaliates. These models have been of interest to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program. Researchers have been looking at issues concerning the stability of the transition period, during which some defenses have been deployed and during which deterrence and war-fighting capability reply partly on defense and partly on offense. Also, more recently, with interest in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and force reductions beyond START, the same calculation engines have been used to examine the impact of reduced forces on strategic stability. For both the SDI and the START reduction cases, exchange models are able to address only a rather narrow class of strategic stability issues. Other broader stability questions that are unrelated to nuclear weapons or that relate to nuclear weapons but are not addressed by the calculational tools which are not included in this discussion. 6 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (BN)

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5586880
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-106901; CTS--24-90; CONF-9010247--3; ON: DE91013304
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

350200 -- Arms Control-- Proliferation-- (1987-)
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450500* -- Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense-- Strategic Defense Initiative-- (1990-)
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
MILITARY STRATEGY
MISSILE SILOS
MISSILES
NATIONAL DEFENSE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
STOCKPILES
WEAPONS