Number: RL34226
Title: Nuclear Weapons in U.S. National Security Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects
Authors: Amy F.Woolf, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: This report highlights the differences between the construct of tailored deterrence and the more general concept of strategic deterrence that guided U.S. nuclear policy during the Cold War. It then identifies a number of issues that Congress might address when it reviews these differences, including the question of whether detailed and tailored attack plans are more likely to enhance deterrence or more likely to lead to the early use of nuclear weapons, and the question of whether tailored deterrence provides any guidance about the future size and structure of U.S. nuclear forces.
Pages: 21
Date: December 30, 2008