Cross-Domain Deterrence

Deterrence theory, which emerged during the Cold War, explains how states can use nuclear threats to prevent nuclear war. Today, however, the threat landscape is significantly more complex. Alongside ever-more sophisticated nuclear weapons arsenals, contemporary threats include cyberwarfare, anti-satellite weapons, robotic drones, and advanced conventional weapons. To deal with the new threat environment, the Pentagon identified five operational domains: land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. The resulting model is an integrated, flexible regime that is able to deter threats across domains. In this volume, a leading cast of scholars and national security practitioners explore the logic and application of cross-domain deterrence in theory and practice.