Page "Bernard Brodie (military strategist)" Paragraph 6

While working at the RAND Corporation, Brodie wrote Strategy in the Missile Age ( 1959 ) which outlined the framework of deterrence.

By arguing that preventative nuclear strikes would lead to escalation from limited to total war, Brodie concluded that deterrence through second strike capability would lead to a more secure outcome for both sides.

Due to the virtual abandonment of first strike as a strategy, Brodie suggested investment in civil defense, which included the " hardening " of land based missile locations to ensure the strength of the second strike capability.

The building of protected missile silos around the United States is a testament to this belief in second strike capability.

It was also important for the second strike force to have first strike capabilities to provide the stasis necessary for deterrence.

Brodie believed that the second strike force should not be targeted towards cities but towards military installations.

This was meant to give the Soviets an opportunity to limit escalation and allow the United States to win the war.

Brodie also advocated the funding of conventional military personnel as a means of ensuring communist containment through limited wars or to fight total war if deterrence fails.