Rhetorical Context Flashcards
ETHOS
“Whiz Kid” Military Stratgist
- made decisions based on Quantitative Realism
- Body counts (Vietnam)
- Evidence-Based Decision Making: you dont make decisions based on what you think is right, you make them based on what the evidence points to.
John Foster Dulles and Massive Retaliation
If the so vitae’s threaten our interests we will massively retaliate.
- SIOP-62: Single Integrated Operational Plan - had no plans for any flexibility in its response.
- “Wargasm” : pentagons jargon for referring to the SIOP
Kennedy Campaign
“Bomber Gap” - we were behind in the amount of bombers we had compared to the other side
- Military Readiness - we weren’t ready enough so campaign says to put Kennedy in office.
Preemptive War
We attack first
Preventative war
An attack in order to stop a war from happening.
Nuclear preventative war sometimes called “bolt from the blue”
Warfighting (counterforce) vs. Mutual Assured destruction
Readings
MAD : Mutual Assured Destruction
Assumption?
Targeting?
Weapons Requirements?
Ethical Claims?
Assumption=
- Nuclear war is not winnable
- Greatest threat is crisis instability (preemptive nuclear war)
Targeting
- Population centers
- Cities & soft targets
- Unacceptable damage
- Requires Survivable weapons
Weapons Requirements
- Small but deadly stockpile
- unacceptable damage
- retaliation after first strike
Ethical Claims
- Deterrence is morally superior to escalation dominance
- mutual hostility/ distrust ok
- relational calculus avoids war
NUTS’ (WARFIGHTING/ counterforce
Assumption?
Targeting?
Weapons Requirements?
Ethical Claims?
Assumption:
-Nuclear war is not unwinnable
-greatest threat is first strike/nuclear blackmail
(Preventative nuclear war)
Targeting:
- counterforce targeting
- weapons(silos, airfields, subs:triad)
- flexible response & damage limitation
- requires ACCURATE weapons
Weapons Requirements:
- Escalating stockpile; cutting edge technology
- dominate ladder of escalation
- prepare for second and third strikes (& beyond)
Ethical Claims:
- reciprocal population avoidance morally superior to threatening civilians
- presumes asymmetrical moral superiority
- limited nuclear wars feasible/winnable
Intersection Rivalry
- Army & Navy Commitment to MAD
- USAF : Air Force
Army & Navy Commitment to MAD:
- wanted small nuclear stockpile
- survivability over accuracy
- ICBM/SLBM
USAF:
- Wanted massive buildup
- Accuracy over survivability
- Aerial bombs
MCNamara’s Response to interservice Rivalry
Second struck counterforce
Goal: Compromise Army/Air force
-Emphasizes survivability(2nd strike)->Army/Navy
-Massive buildup of accurate weapons -> USAF
Rhetorical Failure: Massive buildup ensues
Soviet Perceptions
Reciprocal population avoidance?
Rhetorical failure?
Reciprocal population avoidance
Rhetorical failure
