city avoidance

City avoidance, also known as counterforce targeting, is a nuclear strategy that focuses on striking an opponent's military infrastructure rather than their cities and civilian population. This approach was developed to limit damage and protect cities in the event of nuclear war, with the hope of establishing ground rules for a limited nuclear exchange to prevent escalation.1

Counterforce doctrine differs from countervalue targeting, which involves targeting an enemy's cities and civilian population with nuclear weapons to deter a first strike. While counterforce aimed to reassure adversaries by avoiding civilian targets, it was often associated with a preemptive first strike, making it difficult for opposing nations to trust the intentions behind it. The Soviet Union ultimately rejected this doctrine, and many in the United States also doubted the possibility of a truly limited nuclear exchange.21