Kenndy's Approach to The Cold War (Generally)
Unlike his predecessor (Eisenhower), Kennedy was a Democrat, which is the more liberal of the two parties. During his campaign he criticesed Eisenhower for not being dynamic enough in his dealings with Communism and the threat it posed. Kennedy was willing to pay any price to win against the Soviets, he looked towards a more flexible response, condemning the New Look Policy for not being as such.
As President, Eisenhower had emphasised the importance of spending on nuclear weapons, wanting the US to be willing to use them should the need come as they were cheaper to develop than conventiol weaponry. Kennedy sought to invest in nuclear arms as well but also increased the number of ICBMS the US had by around 800 which advanced the arms race faster than ever.
By 1960, both the Soviets and US had the ability to deter each other using the threat of nuclear weapons but neither had first strike capability. The more they spent on arms, the less safe either side were.
Unlike Eisenhower, Kennedy wanted a large standing army as well as nuclear weapons. He wanted one to be available to engage in any potential crisis around the world. This would be as part of his 'flexible respons' policy. His requirement to have a large army meant an increased military budget and increased size of armed forces.
He was also prepared to finance guerrilla tactics to achieve his aims. This can be seen in his attempts to overthrow communist Cuba leader Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion which (spoiler) was a massive humilation for Kennedy.
As President, Eisenhower had emphasised the importance of spending on nuclear weapons, wanting the US to be willing to use them should the need come as they were cheaper to develop than conventiol weaponry. Kennedy sought to invest in nuclear arms as well but also increased the number of ICBMS the US had by around 800 which advanced the arms race faster than ever.
By 1960, both the Soviets and US had the ability to deter each other using the threat of nuclear weapons but neither had first strike capability. The more they spent on arms, the less safe either side were.
Unlike Eisenhower, Kennedy wanted a large standing army as well as nuclear weapons. He wanted one to be available to engage in any potential crisis around the world. This would be as part of his 'flexible respons' policy. His requirement to have a large army meant an increased military budget and increased size of armed forces.
He was also prepared to finance guerrilla tactics to achieve his aims. This can be seen in his attempts to overthrow communist Cuba leader Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion which (spoiler) was a massive humilation for Kennedy.
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