deterrence

Underlying conception of the nuclear arms race: the belief that a potential aggressor will be discouraged from launching a ‘first strike’ nuclear attack by the knowledge that the adversary is capable of inflicting ‘unacceptable damage’ in a retaliatory strike. This doctrine is widely known as that of mutual assured destruction (MAD). Three essential characteristics of deterrence are: the ‘capability to act’, ‘credibility’, and the ‘will to act’.