Under the strategic circumstances of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, all that was necessary was to ensure the survivability of nuclear forces because very little could survive on the ground should a nuclear war erupt.
But she added that China was enhancing the survivability and penetrative capabilities of its nuclear weapons, and needed to keep potential adversaries guessing about the overall strength of its arsenal.
But even that franchise had slowly waned as the superior flexibility and survivability of Navy ballistic missile subs called into question the future of land-based bombers and missiles in nuclear strategy.