Understanding Strategic Interaction in the Second Nuclear Age

Format is approximately 7.75 inches by 10 inches. Decorative front cover. [6], 89, [1] pages. Footnotes. Acronyms. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) is an independent, non-profit, Washington, D.C.-based think tank specializing in US defense policy, force planning, and budgets. It is headed by Thomas Mahnken. According to its website, CSBA's mission is "to promote innovative thinking and debate about national security strategy, defense planning and military investment options . [and] to enable policymakers to make informed decisions in matters of strategy, security policy and resource allocation." CSBA emphasizes initiatives the United States and its allies can take to wisely invest in the future, including during periods of fiscal austerity and uncertainty. CSBA evaluates its policy proposals through the net assessment methodology, wargaming, and by estimated impact on the Department of Defense budget over multiple Future Years Defense Programs. As the modernization of existing nuclear arsenals, the spread of nuclear weapons, and the diffusion of new technologies make the nuclear landscape more complex, the time is ripe for a fresh examination of the nuclear balance. Toward this end, CSBA has been conducting a multi-year net assessment of the changing nuclear balance. Understanding Strategic Interaction in the Second Nuclear Age takes a deeper look at the evolution of nuclear strategy and doctrine in the United States, Russia, and China, and then explores whether and how decisions by one major power have influenced, and might influence, the actions of others. Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He is a Senior Research Professor at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at The Johns Hopkins University?s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He currently serves as a member of the Congressionally-mandated 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission and as a member of the Army Science Board. His previous government career includes service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning from 2006?2009, where he helped craft the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and 2008 National Defense Strategy, in the Office of Net Assessment, and in the Non-Proliferation Policy Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He served as a member of the 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission and on the Board of Visitors of Marine Corps University. He served on the staff of the 2014 National Defense Panel, 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel, the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Gulf War Air Power Survey. He served for 24 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, including tours in Iraq and Kosovo. In 2009 he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and in 2016 the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal.…