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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.
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.
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.


