美国战略与国际问题研究中心的研究员托马斯·卡拉科认为,当今美国核力量的潜在缺口,源于冷战后对发射系统的压缩以及对非战略核武器的依赖。不仅核武器的部署数量得到极大削减,而且核武器及发射系统的类型和效能也受到限制。为了确保美国核力量的灵活性和可靠性,卡拉科认为未来美国核力量应具备以下特征: Thomas Carracco, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies at the United States, believes that the potential shortfall in U.S. nuclear forces today stems from the compression of the launch system after the cold war and its dependence on non-strategic nuclear weapons. Not only has the number of deployed nuclear weapons been significantly reduced, but the types and effectiveness of nuclear weapons and launch systems have also been limited. In order to ensure the flexibility and reliability of the U.S. nuclear forces, Karakor believes that the future U.S. nuclear forces should have the following characteristics: