On February 10, Atlantic Council Senior Advisor Harlan Ullman wrote an op-ed in The Hill titled “It’s time to debate the relevance of deterrence.” In the piece, Ullman argues that past paradigms of deterrence are inapplicable and unsustainable in coming decades. Instead of applying deterrence to new, unconventional threats, Ullman posits a strategy based in the following: “contain, prevent, defend, and engage.”
It is time to debate the relevance of the concept of deterrence in the 21st century, when non-military threats such as climate change, pandemics, cyber, terror and “active measures” may prove more formidable dangers than opposing armies, navies and air forces
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
