Mutual Assured Destruction

American  

noun

1. a U.S. doctrine of reciprocal deterrence resting on the U.S. and Soviet Union each being able to inflict unacceptable damage on the other in retaliation for a nuclear attack.

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Example Sentences

It ended a war and has so far convinced the nations of the world that mutual assured destruction has no winners.

From Los Angeles Times

“That’s what the doctrine of mutual assured destruction has been about for a long, long time,” said Nunn, now strategic adviser to the Nuclear Threat Initiative security organization, which he co-founded.

From Seattle Times

Since the U.S. and the Soviet Union blundered into their nuclear suicide pact in the 1950s, it has come to be known as Mutual Assured Destruction, or MAD.

From Salon

As the Cold War evolved, they cooperated to reduce the risk of mutual assured destruction through arms control treaties, a hotline between Moscow and Washington, and regular contacts between U.S. and Soviet officials.

From Salon

On both sides, the idea was to deter strikes with threats of vast retaliation — with mutual assured destruction.

From Seattle Times