This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
ElwoodBlues · M
You're not familiar with the doctrine of mutually assured destruction??
The US has three delivery mechanisms for retaliatory nukes.
#1 is bombers. Nuclear armed bombers scramble into the air if incoming threats are detected. This is the easiest mechanism to repel, because bombers can often be detected and shot down.
#2 is ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) in silos. ICBMs travel 8000 to 10,000 miles in about 15 minutes. The US has about 450 hardened launch silos (plus unknown dummies), and it requires an H bomb within about 100 ft to disable a silo. Most of the ICBMs carry MIRVs (multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles) with 4 to 10 warheads each. Fail to disable a silo and you many have ten warheads right back at you.
#3 is submarines. Vanguard class carry 16 MIRV ICBMs with 10 warheads each. Ohio class carry 20. A single submarine thus carries enough warheads to send any group of nations back to the stone age. Our existing fleet of ballistic missile submarines currently carries 54 percent of our nation's nuclear deterrent arsenal.
So yes, Russia could wipe the US off the face of the Earth, and might last 20 minutes longer before it was also wiped off the face of the Earth, as well as several other countries if that's what the orders say. And that is what's known as "deterrence."
BTW, I find it odd that any adult in this day and age is unfamiliar with the doctrine of mutually assured destruction.
The US has three delivery mechanisms for retaliatory nukes.
#1 is bombers. Nuclear armed bombers scramble into the air if incoming threats are detected. This is the easiest mechanism to repel, because bombers can often be detected and shot down.
#2 is ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) in silos. ICBMs travel 8000 to 10,000 miles in about 15 minutes. The US has about 450 hardened launch silos (plus unknown dummies), and it requires an H bomb within about 100 ft to disable a silo. Most of the ICBMs carry MIRVs (multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles) with 4 to 10 warheads each. Fail to disable a silo and you many have ten warheads right back at you.
#3 is submarines. Vanguard class carry 16 MIRV ICBMs with 10 warheads each. Ohio class carry 20. A single submarine thus carries enough warheads to send any group of nations back to the stone age. Our existing fleet of ballistic missile submarines currently carries 54 percent of our nation's nuclear deterrent arsenal.
So yes, Russia could wipe the US off the face of the Earth, and might last 20 minutes longer before it was also wiped off the face of the Earth, as well as several other countries if that's what the orders say. And that is what's known as "deterrence."
BTW, I find it odd that any adult in this day and age is unfamiliar with the doctrine of mutually assured destruction.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@ElwoodBlues How many people are familiar with Dr Strangelove now? I suspect that for most people, if they know it at all, it's a film their grandparents watched and hence uncool.
Haven't watched it for a while, perhaps it's time to see it again.
Anyway with Trump and Putin in bed together it's not likely to happen just now. Not to the US and Russia anyway.
Haven't watched it for a while, perhaps it's time to see it again.
Anyway with Trump and Putin in bed together it's not likely to happen just now. Not to the US and Russia anyway.
SomeMichGuy · M
@ElwoodBlues I think it has not been uttered in years, unfortunately.