Forbes:
This summer marks the 60th anniversary of the fateful day in August, 1957 that Russia successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile. Despite all the changes that have unfolded since then, long-range rockets armed with nuclear warheads remain the single greatest threat to the survival of our republic.
That’s a thought worth reflecting on as the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day. Although Washington is poised to spend over $600 billion on defense during the fiscal year beginning October 1, not much of that money is allocated to protecting the American homeland from intercontinental missiles launched by Russia or other hostile nuclear powers. About one-fourth of one-percent, to be precise.
Instead, policymakers have chosen a strategy of deterrence to defend the homeland, meaning that any nuclear attacker would be met with overwhelmingly destructive retaliation. The assumption is that no rational leader will launch nuclear weapons if he or she knows it would be tantamount to committing national suicide. Unfortunately, not all leaders are rational. And some are accident-prone. Sometimes even rational people can’t think clearly during a crisis…
