Superpower Strategic Postures for a Multipolar World.

Malcolm W. Hoag

Expert InsightsPublished 1969

A consideration of what arms limits upon the United States and the Soviet Union are desirable. That a ban upon both MIRV and ABM systems would stabilize the bipolar strategic balance, and slow nuclear proliferation, is disputed. A MIRV ban would encourage thick ABM defenses of cities, and could easily be evaded by the Soviets. Expected superpower postures with MIRV and thin ABM systems will, with low-cost marginal adjustments for protection against "nth" powers, markedly increase the costs of acquiring retaliatory capabilities against a superpower. Many nations will use such arming rather than disarming by the superpowers ("vertical proliferation") as an excuse for not signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty. But the number of nuclear powers should expand no faster, while the ambitions of nth country strategic programs should expand more slowly. 26 pp.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1969
  • Pages: 26
  • Document Number: P-4201

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Hoag, Malcolm W., Superpower Strategic Postures for a Multipolar World. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1969. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4201.html.
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