Space and Defense
Abstract
r. Payne visited the U.S. Air Force Academy to offer keynote remarks at a national student congress, the 66th Academy Assembly, held during March 3-5,2026 and dedicated to the topic of the Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence in a New Era of Great Power Competition. Dr. Payne is co-founder of the National Institute for Public Policy, former Department Head at the Graduate School of Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and former Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has authored or co-authored over 230 published articles and 50 books and monographs on international security issues.
I have been asked to discuss key emerging strategic issues this morning. We confront multiple important strategic questions; and some are new. But my general opening point is that long-familiar, fundamental deterrence questions must now be readdressed in a threat context that has worsened dramatically. What is old is new again. Given the time available, I will limit my opening remarks to four of these issues. However, before I discuss these four issues, there is an important comment that supersedes everything else we consider about deterrence and strategic forces.
DOI
10.32873/uno.dc.sd.17.01.1343
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Payne, Keith B.
(2026)
"Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions for Today,"
Space and Defense: Vol. 17:
No.
1, Article 12.
DOI: 10.32873/uno.dc.sd.17.01.1343
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/spaceanddefense/vol17/iss1/12
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Aviation and Space Education Commons, Defense and Security Studies Commons, Eastern European Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons, Nuclear Engineering Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, Space Vehicles Commons