Which Cold War policy document called for massive U.S. military expansion?

• A. NSC-68
• B. Truman Doctrine
• C. Containment Policy
• D. Flexible Response

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the push for a dramatic expansion of U.S. military power to deter the Soviet threat. NSC-68, written in 1950, argued that the United States needed a substantial increase in both conventional forces and strategic nuclear capabilities. It warned that without a major buildup, the Soviet Union could overtake Western defenses and undermine allies around the world. The document framed this expansion as essential to credible deterrence and to sustaining global containment, making a large-scale military buildup a central recommendation.

The Truman Doctrine, by contrast, centers on providing political, economic, and military aid to countries resisting communist subjugation, rather than detailing a broad, sustained expansion of U.S. armed forces. Containment is the overarching strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, not a single policy memo calling for a specific level of forces. Flexible Response, developed later, emphasizes a range of options—from conventional to nuclear—to respond to different threats, rather than advocating a uniform, massive buildup.

So NSC-68 is the document that specifically called for a massive expansion of U.S. military power to deter Soviet ambitions.