MIT Press

Table 1.

Technological and Doctrinal Conditions for Escalation to Occur as a Result of Entanglement

	Misinterpreted Warning	Damage-Limitation Window	Crisis Instability
Target's nuclear forces have been attacked by—or are perceived to be threatened by—attacker's nonnuclear weapons			XX^a
Target's nuclear C3I (command, control, communication, and intelligence) capabilities have been attacked by—or are perceived to be threatened by—attacker's nonnuclear weapons	XX	XX	XX^a
Target's nuclear delivery systems are dual use or superficially similar to nonnuclear delivery systems			X
Target's nuclear C3I capabilities are dual use	XX	XX	X
Attacker's nuclear doctrine calls for damage limitation	X		X
Target's nuclear doctrine calls for damage limitation	X	XX
Attacker's conventional warfighting doctrine calls for attacks against C3I capabilities	X	X	X

	Misinterpreted Warning	Damage-Limitation Window	Crisis Instability
Target's nuclear forces have been attacked by—or are perceived to be threatened by—attacker's nonnuclear weapons			XX^a
Target's nuclear C3I (command, control, communication, and intelligence) capabilities have been attacked by—or are perceived to be threatened by—attacker's nonnuclear weapons	XX	XX	XX^a
Target's nuclear delivery systems are dual use or superficially similar to nonnuclear delivery systems			X
Target's nuclear C3I capabilities are dual use	XX	XX	X
Attacker's nuclear doctrine calls for damage limitation	X		X
Target's nuclear doctrine calls for damage limitation	X	XX
Attacker's conventional warfighting doctrine calls for attacks against C3I capabilities	X	X	X

XX = necessary condition

X = exacerbating condition

At least one of these conditions is necessary for crisis instability.