“Nuclear posture is the incorporation of some number and type of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles state's overall military structure, the rules and procedures governing how those weapons are deployed, when and under what conditions they might be used, against what targets, and who has the authority to make those decisions. Nuclear posture is best thought of as the operational, rather than the declaratory, nuclear doctrine of a country; while the two can overlap, it is the operational doctrine that generates deterrent power against an opponent. To put it bluntly, states care more about what an adversary can credibly do with its nuclear weapons than what it says about them.” Nuclear WeaponsNuclear PostureNuclear Strategy Book:Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict Source: Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict
“The basic point is that nuclear postures matter to the pattern of conflict a state experiences. Not only do regional powers select different strategies and postures, but those choices have critical implications for their ability to deter armed attacks. Nuclear weapons may deter, but they deter unequally.” Nuclear WeaponsNuclear PostureNuclear Strategy Book:Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict Source: Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict