A Nuclear Error: Difference between revisions

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* Counter-city policies (''[[Fail Safe]]''): When early basic plans involved "throw everything we've got at the commies", later American nuclear policy during the [[Cold War]] was to focus on military targets. Population centers like Moscow still would have been bombed, true, but only as leadership targets (and probably with smaller warheads). Industrial targets in cities were last-resort targets. The Soviets did target civilian populations, but not to a massive extent while it was in fact the British who carried over WWII Bomber Command doctrine of area bombing cities due to the smaller number of warheads in stock.

* Counter-city policies (''[[Fail Safe]]''): When early basic plans involved "throw everything we've got at the commies", later American nuclear policy during the [[Cold War]] was to focus on military targets. Population centers like [[Moscow]] still would have been bombed, true, but only as leadership targets (and probably with smaller warheads). Industrial targets in cities were last-resort targets. The Soviets did target civilian populations, but not to a massive extent while it was in fact the British who carried over WWII Bomber Command doctrine of area bombing cities due to the smaller number of warheads in stock.

* A Soviet first strike (''[[Threads]]''): the Soviet Union had a "No First Use" policy (= only use nuclear weapons if first attacked with nuclear weapons) in the 1980s. Before then, there were plans for first use, but only in response to an imminent Western attack. ''[[WarGames]]'' is correct in its usage, as there never was an actual first launch (it was all the military's computer playing a game of ''Global Thermonuclear War,'' with the first strike being made by a teenage hacker, unaware he's actually making the US think they're under attack).

** During the [[Cold War]] and post-Cold War analysis of East German, Czech and Polish documents, many people confused the term "pre-emption" with "first strike". Pre-emption is like this: it is considered self-defense to draw and shoot if the other guy starts to draw his gun first.

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* Presidential power: The US President cannot launch a nuclear first strike without the cooperation of the Secretary of Defense or any other administrative official that's been appointed/approved by Congress (e.g., CIA director, most of the Presidential Cabinet...). Ordering a retaliatory strike was something a number of people had authority to do. The plane known as "Looking Glass" had authority to do so in the event that the National Command Authority was killed or out of contact. Were DEFCON to reach level 2, both pilot and co-pilot would be required to wear eye-patches in case a nuclear explosion render their exposed eye either momentarily or permanently blind, but nowadays they use goggles. While current policies are classified, it can be assumed that after a major strike on the USA, remaining weapons would be released, with or without higher command. For the Soviets, supposedly, the semi-automatic [[wikipedia:Perimetr|Perimetr]] system had three human operators who were able to give the order to launch all remaining warheads in case when on-site seismic detectors detected multiple nuclear explosions on Russian soil and high command is inaccessible. It is unknown if the system is still in use today.

* Using a missile warhead as a stand-still bomb: Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, virtually all nuclear warheads are designed so that they will only go off after being exposed to certain environmental conditions- as in the large numbers of Gs associated with a missile launch.

* Most films behave as if only the USA and USSR had nukes. In reality, the UK, France, China were also nuclear powers before the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Later, India and South Africa produced weapons before the end of the Cold War. In an [[The Not-Secret|open secret]], Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons since the 60's or 70's. Several European countries had American bombs stationed there too. South Africa disarmed in 1990; Pakistan joined the club in 1998. North Korea has a limited number of ~~very primitive~~ nuclear weapons~~, lower grade than those used in World War II, but lacks anything to deploy them with, technology it eagerly seeks to develop~~. Iran had a nuclear program but officially (with little doubt that it continues unofficially) suspended it as part of a deal with the United States. Syria was also suspected by some of having nuclear weapons programmes, though the long ongoing Syrian civil war leaves the state and future of these programs to more speculation. Many European countries still have American nuclear gravity bombs stationed there - the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey among others. Their pilots train to use them; in the event of war, the US bombs would be turned over to local NATO forces.

* Most films behave as if only the USA and USSR had nukes. In reality, the UK, France, China were also nuclear powers before the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Later, India and South Africa produced weapons before the end of the Cold War. In an [[The Not-Secret|open secret]], Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons since the 60's or 70's. Several European countries had American bombs stationed there too. South Africa disarmed in 1990; Pakistan joined the club in 1998. North Korea has a limited number of nuclear weapons. Iran had a nuclear program but officially (with little doubt that it continues unofficially) suspended it as part of a deal with the United States. Syria was also suspected by some of having nuclear weapons programmes, though the long ongoing Syrian civil war leaves the state and future of these programs to more speculation. Many European countries still have American nuclear gravity bombs stationed there - the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey among others. Their pilots train to use them; in the event of war, the US bombs would be turned over to local NATO forces.

** In fact, it's widely suspected that the [[wikipedia:Vela Incident|Vela Incident]] was a joint Israeli/South African nuclear test, as S. Africa was being subjected to multiple embargoes and sanctions due to Apartheid, and Israel was looking for a nation to help them gain nuclear capability because they were being embargoed by some nations in the West.

* Disarming a ICBM Post-Launch: Deployed strategic ballistic missiles do not have any mechanisms for the attacker to remotely disarm or destroy the weapons after launch. For all intents and purposes once the missile has been fired it can only be stopped either by mechanical malfunction or interception. Missiles which are used for testing are modified with a self-destruct mechanism in case something goes wrong, but live warheads are not used for testing the missiles.