deterrence

Many military officials wonder whether it even makes sense to invest huge parts of their defense budgets in ballistic-missile interceptors, arguing that it’s best to focus on deterrence instead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Seeing that their deterrence against the U.S. had failed and their own facilities were already in ruins, Iran’s leaders might hesitate before retaliating against those of the Saudis and other Gulf neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“The French will let us participate in their nuclear deterrence as much as the Americans,” quipped a government minister in another European nation involved in the project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

A small coastguard ship made an initial attempt using an electrical deterrence device, which generates a weak current that sharks avoid.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Henry Kissinger, a contemporary politician, wrote: “Deterrence depends, above all, on psychological criteria. For purposes of deterrence, a bluff taken seriously is more useful than a serious threat interpreted as a bluff.”

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan