Reductions Without Regret: Avoiding Box Canyons, Roach Motels and Wrong Turns

Three factors are now shaping the evolution of the U.S. nuclear force: (1) the pursuit of nuclear-weapon reductions below current levels for all weapon types - strategic and non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed; (2) modernization of a nuclear force developed during the Cold War and shaped by Cold-War politics and post-Cold-War expectations; and (3) diversification of nuclear deterrence from the bilateral Cold War standoff to a bi-level global-regional model. This third factor was implicitly acknowledged in the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report, which numbers among its objectives- Maintaining strategic deterrence and stability, and- Strengthening regional deterrence and the assurance of our allies and partners.