Denial Without Disaster–Keeping a U.S.-China Conflict Over Taiwan Under the Nuclear Threshold

In this report--part of a larger study of prospective nuclear escalation risks in a U.S.-China military conflict--the authors draw on historical experience and analytic strategic theory to explore how U.S. joint long-range strike could adapt to better balance military operational effectiveness, force survivability, and escalation management to achieve desired objectives while avoiding catastrophic escalation, specifically Chinese nuclear first use.