counterforce

Counterforce is a military targeting concept that seeks to neutralize an adversary's military forces and war-fighting capabilities, rather than civilian or economic assets. In doctrine, counterforce targets include armed forces, air defenses, command and control nodes, military bases, weapons stockpiles, and other critical military infrastructure that directly supports the opponent's ability to wage war.

In nuclear strategy, counterforce refers to targeting the opponent's nuclear weapons, delivery systems, and command networks with the aim of reducing their capacity to respond. It is contrasted with countervalue, which targets civilians, infrastructure, and economic resources. The choice between counterforce and countervalue has been central in debates on deterrence, escalation risk, and arms control.

Practical considerations include accuracy, verification, and the vulnerability of dispersed or mobile forces. Counterforce targeting can raise incentives for preemption and escalation, and it often complicates post-conflict stability. These issues have made many strategists cautious about pursuing broad counterforce options, especially in the absence of robust second-strike stability.

Today, most nuclear doctrines emphasize deterrence credibility and survivable second-strike capability, with counterforce options treated as contingent tools rather than the primary mode of deterrence. In conventional warfare, counterforce planning may be used to degrade an opponent's military effectiveness during a crisis, but remains constrained by legal norms and risk of escalation.

See also deterrence theory, countervalue, first strike, second strike, nuclear strategy, arms control.