<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Mutual assured destruction or mutually assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full - scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender (see pre-emptive nuclear strike and second strike). It is based on the theory of deterrence, which holds that the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons . The strategy is a form of Nash equilibrium in which, once armed, neither side has any incentive to initiate a conflict or to disarm . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What does mad stand for in the cold war