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| 1 |
ID:
182006
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| Summary/Abstract |
The geography of the United States is not the sole determinant of how its leaders choose to defend the homeland, but geography is certainly the first and most permanent factor. The large, fertile, and secure U.S. homeland is bounded by friendly neighbors to the north and south, and broad oceans to the east and west, leading to the preferred post–World War II U.S. defense strategy of basing its forces as far forward as possible to provide a layered defense of the homeland while securing air- and sea-based lanes of transport.1 In short, the United States relies on the blessings of its geography—a large industrial base, inland transportation infrastructure, and secure sea-based capabilities—to project its military power around the world. With threats rising against U.S. power-projection capabilities in the homeland, mainly from cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles, the question is, How should the United States respond to threats against its forward-based defense strategy?
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| 2 |
ID:
170445
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| Summary/Abstract |
The current U.S. nuclear-armed cruise missile, the AGM-86B, is quickly approaching the end of its extended service life, which has led to increased debate about the need for and price of its proposed replacement, the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) weapon. This article contributes to the debate by assessing the claims of U.S. officials for the need of a replacement nuclear-armed, air-launched cruise missile, what the prospective characteristics of LRSO may be, and the LRSO’s potential value in the future security environment. The article concludes that, given the LRSO’s prospective range, stealth, and other characteristics, its main value for the U.S. defense strategy will be in the areas of maintaining the deterrent effect of the bomber leg of the nuclear triad, imposing additional costs on adversaries’ defenses, and contributing to assurance—all at a reasonable cost.
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