assured destruction strategy

…McNamara initially emphasized a counter-force strategy to attack the enemy's nuclear forces, but as the Soviet Union's nuclear forces became less vulnerable, he shifted his focus to a counter-city strategy (counter-value strategy) to attack cities and industrial areas. He believed that it was necessary to attack the enemy's nuclear forces to limit America's losses, and to have the ability to retaliate with the surviving nuclear forces in the event of a surprise attack and inflict damage on the enemy that would be unacceptable. This was called an "assured destruction strategy," and became the basis of nuclear strategy in the 1960s and after. Criticism of this assured destruction strategy was present from the beginning. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "assured destruction strategy" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…マクナマラは当初，敵の核戦力を攻撃する対兵力戦略counter‐force strategyを重視していたが，ソ連の核戦力の非脆弱化にともなって都市･工業地帯を攻撃する対都市戦略counter‐city strategy(対価値戦略counter‐value strategy)を重視する方向に転じ，敵の核戦力を攻撃しアメリカの損害を限定するとともに，敵の奇襲攻撃を受けても生き残った核戦力で反撃して〈敵に受け入れられないほどの損害を与える能力〉を持つ必要があると考えた。これは〈確証破壊戦略assured destruction strategy〉といわれ，60年代以降の核戦略の基礎となった。　この確証破壊戦略に対しては当初から批判がでていた。…

※「assured destruction strategy」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報