The Development of U.S. Nuclear Force and Infrastructure in the 21st Century: Trends and Implications
Abstract
The presentation aims to compare the approach of the Bush and Obama administrations towards the development of the United States nuclear weapons force and industrial complex. The author is employing a comparative study of the content as well as implications of both the relevant strategic documents and the actual operational policy of the two administrations in this area.
The analysis concentrates at broader conceptual issues as well as concrete steps related to specific elements of the United States strategic arsenal and infrastructure. Both the documents and the particular operational steps are analyzed within the context of the evolution of the United States nuclear strategy since the 1990s which allows the author to identify the shifts as well as the patterns of continuity in the US nuclear policy in the post-Cold War period.
The results of the research suggest direct implications for the development of U.S. nuclear weapons force and strategy in the near future.