PONI Debates the Issues: Damage Limitation

October 6 – 7, 2011

The Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) hosted a debate on the importance of damage limitation options in U.S. nuclear war planning with Dr. Keir Lieber, an Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, and Dr. James Acton, a Senior Associate in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Acton and Lieber took opposing views on whether designing a force structure and targeting plan that seeks to limit the scale of a retaliatory strike is ultimately beneficial. This topic has important implications for how the United States shapes its force structure in attempts to ensure crisis stability with Russia, China, and other nuclear powers.

This event is the 12th installment of PONI's ongoing live debate series, which is an extension of the PONI Debates the Issues blog. The objective of the series is to provide a forum for in-depth exploration of the arguments on both sides of key nuclear policy issues.