Abstract
Projected technical improvements in the "air-breathing" portion of the strategic force structure may work to destabilize superpower deterrence. This article examines potential threats to nuclear deterrence stability posed by the introduction of the advanced cruise missile and the advanced technology bomber, two technical improvements expected to arrive in superpower arsenals by the mid-1990s. While advanced technology bombers may not degrade strategic warning time, the advanced cruise missile does threaten to reduce warning and reaction time to the point where it increases the risks to deterrence stability.
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