Mutually Assured Destruction in Theory and Practice

By definition Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy in which full-scale use of nuclear weapons by both sides would effectively result in the destruction of both side. It is not a complicated concept. An elementary school child could understand that the two biggest kids in the class dont openly brawl because both would suffer unacceptable damage as well as put third parties in the danger of the crossfire. The concept of MAD is not the complicated part; it is everything else that pertains to it that has baffled policy makers and theorists for generations. Mutually Assured Destruction is a complex but precarious balance that dominated the Cold War Era. The stability can easily be disrupted by actions taken by†¦show more content†¦Credited with first use of the phrase assured destruction, McNamara did much to outline the dilemma that both the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic faced. Secretary McNamara proved to be highly influ ential on the Cold War, such as the Kennedy Administration actions on the Bay of Pigs Operation, (although it ended up backfired on the Administration). He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Security Counsel that advised President Kennedy on the Cuban Missile Crisis. He is famous for his Athens and Ann Arbor speeches in Greece and Michigan respectfully, which suggested picking military targets rather than cities, as well as indivisibility of control which stressed a united nuclear deterrent against the communist forces. The idea of a change in targets was however dropped when it was realized how difficult it would be to make it an effective strategy. 9 Central to the employment of mutually assured destruction as a military doctrine is a belief that neither side would attack for it would ensure its own death. This delicate balance exists only while conditions remain stable. 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