The Cuban missile crisis was probably the closest we came to nuclear war. There were two types of close call in Cuba. There were moments of tension between the US and Soviet militaries, all of which tell us something interesting about how different patterns of civil-military relations influence the outcomes of moments of crisis. But, there was also the risk of nuclear not by accident but by intention. Throughout the crisis, the US government kept an invasion of Cuba or airstrikes on the missile sites as options on the table, and the former was pushed very aggressively by the joint chiefs of staff. The joint chiefs of staff were the most senior officers in the US army and provided its strategic direction. The influence of these most senior members of the military bureaucracy has been pervasive throughout the history of nuclear weapons, and their role in nuclear risk will be something I’ll return to in a later post.
How close to nuclear war did we get over Cuba?
How close to nuclear war did we get over…
How close to nuclear war did we get over Cuba?
The Cuban missile crisis was probably the closest we came to nuclear war. There were two types of close call in Cuba. There were moments of tension between the US and Soviet militaries, all of which tell us something interesting about how different patterns of civil-military relations influence the outcomes of moments of crisis. But, there was also the risk of nuclear not by accident but by intention. Throughout the crisis, the US government kept an invasion of Cuba or airstrikes on the missile sites as options on the table, and the former was pushed very aggressively by the joint chiefs of staff. The joint chiefs of staff were the most senior officers in the US army and provided its strategic direction. The influence of these most senior members of the military bureaucracy has been pervasive throughout the history of nuclear weapons, and their role in nuclear risk will be something I’ll return to in a later post.