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What was the Big Stick Ideology?

Introduction Big stick ideology, big stick diplomacy, or big stick policy refers to President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy, “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”. Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as “the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis”. As… Read More

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What is the Theory of Nuclear Peace?

Introduction Nuclear peace is a theory of international relations which argues that the presence of nuclear weapons may in some circumstances decrease the risk of crisis escalation, since parties will seek to avoid situations that could lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Proponents of nuclear peace theory therefore believe that controlled nuclear proliferation may… Read More

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An Overview of UK Security Vetting for Members of the British Armed Forces

1.0 Introduction Many roles within defence and public sectors require prospective candidates to undergo security checks before the assignment can begin. This article will provide a brief outline of the security vetting these prospective candidates may undertake. This process is collectively known as national security vetting (NSV), and gets progressively more intrusive the higher the… Read More

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What is the Samson Option?

Introduction The Samson Option (Hebrew: ברירת שמשון, b’rerat shimshon) is the name that some military analysts and authors have given to Israel’s deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a “last resort” against a country whose military has invaded and/or destroyed much of Israel. Commentators also have employed the term to refer to… Read More

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What is Dead Hand?

Introduction Dead Hand (Russian: Система «Периметр», Sistema “Perimetr”, lit. “Perimeter” System, with the GRAU Index 15E601, Cyrillic: 15Э601), also known as Perimeter, is a Cold War-era automatic nuclear weapons-control system (similar in concept to the American AN/DRC-8 Emergency Rocket Communications System) that was constructed by the Soviet Union. The system remains in use in the… Read More

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What is Operation Looking Glass?

Introduction Looking Glass (or Operation Looking Glass) is the historic code name for an airborne command and control centre operated by the United States (US). In more recent years it has been more officially referred to as the ABNCP (Airborne National Command Post). It provides command and control of US nuclear forces in the event… Read More