Why did the Army embrace the New Look policy?

• A. Bureaucratic survival, belief in tactical use of small nuclear weapons, and countering Soviet conventional superiority in Europe.
• B. A desire to abandon nuclear weapons in favor of conventional forces.
• C. A strategy to disengage from European defense and focus on Asia.
• D. A commitment to massive retaliation as the sole instrument of policy.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is deterrence through a strong nuclear posture. Under the New Look, the United States emphasized a powerful nuclear arsenal and the threat of massive retaliation to deter Soviet aggression, while reducing conventional forces to save money. The Army embraced this approach because it allowed the nation to deter major threats without maintaining large numbers of ground troops in Europe, relying on the potential for a devastating nuclear response to any attack. In this view, the credibility of a swift, overwhelming nuclear reply was seen as the most effective and economical way to keep peace on the European front and beyond.

That’s why this option is the best fit: it centers on using massive retaliation as the principal policy instrument. The other ideas don’t align with the New Look. It wasn’t about abandoning nuclear weapons in favor of conventional forces, nor about disengaging from Europe and focusing on Asia, and it certainly didn’t promote massive retaliation as the sole instrument in a way that contradicts the broader deterrent strategy.