Westminster Insider

How to avoid a nuclear war

Mar 11, 2022
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INSIGHT

Why MAD Kept Superpowers From Direct War

  • Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) created stability by making both superpowers vulnerable to catastrophic retaliation.
  • The triad of submarines, bombers and land missiles ensured survivable second-strike capability and underpinned deterrence.
ANECDOTE

Second In Command Who Averted Submarine Nuclear Strike

  • A Soviet submarine captain ordered a nuclear torpedo launch during the Cuban Missile Crisis but was overruled by his second-in-command Vasili Arkhipov.
  • Arkhipov's refusal averted an accidental nuclear escalation amid intense US naval pressure.
ANECDOTE

Officer Who Stopped An Accidental Nuclear Launch

  • Stanislav Petrov ignored a false Soviet early-warning alert and prevented a retaliatory launch that could have triggered nuclear war.
  • Petrov trusted his gut over protocol when five incoming missiles were reported on 26 September 1983, and the system had malfunctioned.
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