The implications of having our own command-and-control system compromised underscore why sabotaging similar systems in other nations is dangerous business. If American leaders—or Russian leaders—feared their missiles might not lift off when someone hit the button, or that they were programmed to go off-course, it could easily undermine the system of deterrence that has helped reduce the likelihood of nuclear war for the past several decades. It could also encourage countries to build more missiles—as an insurance policy—and perhaps to launch them earlier.
