mutual assured destruction

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

A pun on "assured destruction" ("a highly reliable ability to inflict unacceptable damage ... even after absorbing a surprise first strike"[1]), a term used in discussions of American nuclear strategy in the 1960s. Perhaps coined by Donald Brennan, conservative defense analyst and a public critic of the policy.[2]

Noun

mutual assured destruction (uncountable)

  1. (politics, public policy, military) The threat of massive retaliation using nuclear weapons should a potential enemy use them first, both sides being annihilated in the event of war.

Usage notes

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • assured destruction

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ McNamara, Robert (18 September 1967) “"Mutual Deterrence" Speech”, in Atomic Archive‎[1]
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “mutual”, in Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 18 June 2025.
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