Deterrence Theory

Deterrence theory holds that a state can prevent an attack not by defeating it but by credibly threatening retaliation severe enough that the expected cost outweighs any gain, so the threat itself does the strategic work rather than combat. The theory was formalized after the introduction of nuclear weapons, most influentially in strategist Bernard Brodie's 1946 essay collection The Absolute Weapon, which argued the atomic bomb had made deterrence rather than victory the purpose of a modern military. It underpinned Cold War nuclear strategy between the United States and the Soviet Union; this entry covers deterrence as a military-strategic doctrine of threatened retaliation, distinct from its use as diplomatic or alliance policy.