Abstract
Expectations for the survivability of U.S. strategic forces and command, control, and communications (C3) may exceed the requirements of political prudence and military necessity. U.S. forces and commanders need not be expected to survive improbable threats and extreme worst-case scenarios. Given technical limitations and political probabilities, the requirements for survivability should include allowing for evolutionary adjustment of capabilities and technologies. Imposing irrelevant survivability requirements may also be self-defeating for American strategy, as the case of MX illustrates.
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