The Israeli airline, El Al, has famously depended on having undercover air marshals on their flights as one component of its successful deterrent strategy.

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That's driven the entire military, including STRATCOM, in an effort to "define a deterrent strategy for the 21st century and the capabilities necessary to lend credibility to that deterrent, " he said.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: STRATCOM: Safe, reliable deterrence critical

The U.S. deterrent strategy of graduated escalation relied on the ability to hold at bay, albeit temporarily, a Soviet attack on Europe or a proxy in the Far East, thereby creating intrawar firebreaks.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | The Measure of a Superpower: A Two Major Regional Contingency Military for the 21st Century | Page: 2