Title Death by moderation : the U.S. Military's quest for useable weapons / David A. Koplow

Published Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010

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Description 1 online resource (xx, 263 pages) Contents Revolutionary weapons and transformed war -- Deterrence and self-deterrence -- The law of armed conflict -- Precision-guided munitions -- Low-yield nuclear weapons -- Smart antipersonnel land mines -- Antisatellite weapons -- Nonlethal weapons -- What to do about useability Summary This book addresses an important but little-noticed phenomenon in the revolutionary world of military technology. Across a wide range of otherwise-unrelated weapons programs, the Pentagon is now pursuing arms that are deliberately crafted to be less powerful, less deadly, and less destructive than the systems they are designed to supplement or replace. This direction is historically anomalous; military forces generally pursue ever-bigger bangs, but the modern conditions of counter-insurgency warfare and military operations "other than war" (such as peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance) demand a military capable of modulated force. By providing a capacity to intervene deftly yet effectively, the new generations of "useable" weaponry should enable the U.S. military to accomplish its demanding missions in a manner consistent with legal obligations, public relations realities, and political constraints. Five case studies are provided, regarding precision-guided "smart bombs," low-yield nuclear weapons, self-neutralizing anti-personnel land mines, directed-energy anti-satellite weapons, and non-lethal weapons Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Military weapons -- United States -- Case studies Weapons systems -- United States -- Case studies Precision guided munitions -- United States Tactical nuclear weapons -- United States Land mines -- United States Anti-satellite weapons -- United States Nonlethal weapons -- United States HISTORY -- Military -- Weapons. Anti-satellite weapons Armed Forces -- Weapons systems Land mines Military weapons Nonlethal weapons Precision guided munitions Tactical nuclear weapons Weapons systems Militär Waffensystem Versorgung SUBJECT United States -- Armed Forces -- Weapons systems -- Case studies Subject United States USA Genre/Form Case studies Form Electronic book ISBN 9780511658570 0511658575 9780511804816 0511804814

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