They nurtured, richly rewarded, even reveled in the industrial base required to support production at such levels. I was part of that. I was present at the creation of many of these systems, directly responsible for prescribing and justifying the requirements in technology that made them possible. I saw the arms race from the inside, watched as intercontinental ballistic missiles ushered in mutual assured destruction and multiple-warhead missiles introduced genuine fear of a nuclear first strike. I was responsible for nuclear war plans with more than 12,000 targets, many of which would have been struck with repeated nuclear blows.
Deterrence is a slippery conceptual slope.
It is neither stable nor static. Its wiles cannot be contained. It is both master and slave. It seduces the scientist yet bends to his creation. It serves the ends of evil as well as those of noble intent.