MAD doctrine

Cold War episode 12 – MAD 1960-1972 – Throughout the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union find themselves embroiled in a perilous nuclear standoff, both keenly aware that attacking the other could incite retaliation and result in self-destruction. This precarious balance leads to the evolution of nuclear strategy, known as Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), in which both sides face assured annihilation in the event of nuclear war. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, America’s policy of targeting Soviet military bases as a deterrent to war proves to be ineffective. Consequently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara conceives a new […]