Classic nuclear strategy during the Cold War is not effective to deter today’s non-state actors. This essay will define deterrence and introduce some concepts to show how the United States can redefine deterrent strategy and apply it to their threats. Deterrence is defined by the Department of Defense as, “the prevention of action by fear of the consequences”. Deterrence was a popular theory during the Cold War because the threat to nation states was nuclear war and the resulting annihilation of its power. Nuclear war prevented state powers from acting against another states national interest because each state feared the consequences of their action. Therefore, it was and effective strategy between the bipolar powers of the United States and Russia. Unlike state actors, the non-state actors of today do not have specified borders to defend or comparative assets to annihilate. Although Admiral Mullen introduces a “New Deterrence Model” beginning with nuclear preparedness, he follows up with statements of establishing a credible and flexible model. These are seemingly broad constructs open to interpretation but …show more content…
Our strategy should remain flexible because it is unrealistic to assume that the strategy can destroy all hostility or terrorism. Another example of flexibility is considering the culture of the organization. Many non-state actors have different motives and broad strategies against the whole cannot work, but RAND analysts provide categories to non-states actors which can assist in developing a strategy. The strategy should account for the adversary’s underlying intent. To determine their intent, the strategist should consider a deterrence calculus. The calculus aids in planning but flexibility remains the underlying requirement because all considerations are not absolute and obtaining more deterrent is also