Cross-Domain Deterrence and Credible Threats

The concept of deterrence rests on a series of assumptions about how potential opponents recognize, interpret and react to threats of retaliation.  The fundamental assumption is that a correct interpretation by opponents will lead them to reject certain courses of action as too risky or too expensive.  The problem is that potential opponents may misinterpret deterrent threats while others may be not feel threatened, and are therefore harder to deter.

Image
James Andrew Lewis
Senior Vice President; Pritzker Chair; and Director, Strategic Technologies Program