Sitting Ducks or Decoys

The High Cost of SAC Dispersal to Large-City Airfields

Thomas C. Schelling

ResearchPublished 1960

This short paper by Nobel Prize winner Thomas C. Schelling argues against the use of civilian airfields near large cities for dispersing Strategic Air Command bombers. Schelling notes that although these airports have the capacity to host large aircraft, putting nuclear forces near urban areas could create incentives for an enemy to attack cities that otherwise might be spared in a counterforce strike.

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RAND Style Manual
Schelling, Thomas C., Sitting Ducks or Decoys: The High Cost of SAC Dispersal to Large-City Airfields, RAND Corporation, D-7329, 1960. As of September 23, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/documents/D7329.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Schelling, Thomas C., Sitting Ducks or Decoys: The High Cost of SAC Dispersal to Large-City Airfields. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1960. https://www.rand.org/pubs/documents/D7329.html.
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