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Description

During the Cold War, strategic capabilities were synonymous with nuclear capabilities, and U.S. strategic planning focused on nuclear deterrence and response against a single adversary. Today, more potential enemies are developing asymmetric capabilities to inhibit or prevent U.S. military intervention in regional conflicts— in short, to wage strategic warfare by implicitly or explicitly threatening highvalue political, military, or economic targets with weapons of mass destruction and disruption. U.S. security over the next several decades will depend increasingly on the ability to deter and respond effectively to strategic regional conflicts with significant escalation potential.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Region(s)

Korean Peninsula, Persian Gulf/Middle East, South Asia

Topic(s)

Strategic Competition, Military Strategy, National Security

Publication Date

7-2001

Publication

Strategic Forum

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, DC

Keywords

regional conflict escalation, strategic consequences of conflict, escalation dynamics, deterrence and escalation, military strategy, strategic competition, U.S. national security, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), asymmetric warfare, anti-access/area-denial (A2/D2)

Regional Conflicts with Strategic Consequences

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