I'd like to see a more aggressive attitude on the part of the United States. That doesn't mean launching an immediate preventive war. ... Native analysts may look sadly back from the future on that period when we had the atomic bomb and the Russians didn't... That was the era when we might have destroyed Russia completely and not even skinned our elbows doing it.... China has the bomb... Sometime in the future--25, 50, 75 years hence--what will the situation be like then? By that time the Chinese will have the capability of delivery too... That's the reason some schools of thinking don't rule out a destruction of the Chinese military potential before the situation grows worse than it is today. It's bad enough now.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Preemptive destruction of rising nuclear powers may be necessary.
- In plain terms
- Destroy rivals while you are stronger to avoid future threats.
- What can you take from it?
- Timing is critical in great power competition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is preemption against potential threats ethical?
- How do you assess timing?
Another view
It advocates war against potential future threats.
More from Curtis LeMay
If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting.
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