The good news is that Congress now strongly supports nuclear modernization. However, the bad news is that some still doubt the need to invest in air and missile defenses and develop the sea-based nuclear cruise missiles that U.S. military leaders have recommended. Furthermore, the new equipment kicks in largely at the end of the decade, meaning the United States and its allies must hope that their adversaries wait for them to build the required military forces that allow for a “fair fight.”

But most troubling is the news that many still cling to cherished myths about nuclear weapons and deterrence, believing that unilateral arms reductions or rosy statements of nuclear restraint are magic ways to rebalance our deterrent and reduce nuclear dangers.

Peace through strength worked. It is time to return to it.

Peter Huessy is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. These views are his own.

Image: Reuters.