CIAO DATE: 03/2011
February 2011
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
There are four reasons why the United States might decide to threaten, or actually use, nuclear weapons first: to deter or respond to conventional aggression; to deter or respond to chemical or biological weapons attacks; to preempt an adversary's use of nuclear weapons; and to hold at risk, and potentially destroy, underground targets. Upon close examination, U.S. conventional capabilities are more than sufficient for these missions, are more credible than nuclear threats, and do not carry the added political and military consequences associated with the United States breaking the long record of nuclear nonuse.
Resource link: The Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy: The Case for No First Use [PDF] - 405K