"US accelerates plans for nuke" Topic

Subject: US accelerates plans for nuke 24 times more powerful than Hiroshima bomb amid WWIII fears


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Have to keep the arsenal updated and ahead of the bad guys.

Not sure size actually matters here. Survivability, reliability, and numbers are probably more important.

As if anyone can win a strategic nuclear war.

Is there an available and applicable "test ban treaty" that we can ignore in order to … test them? Or, are we so computer and tech savvy that there's no need?

I'm sure that someone, naming no names, would rather declare and void a treaty, than merely use a computer.
"It will be a fine test! A bigly beautiful test!"

Nobody/somebody should mention to that person who shall remain nameless that the Russians hold the record for bigliness with the 50 Megaton Tsar Bomba. The best we could do was only 15 Megatons. Try harder USA!
This new one is only 24x Hiroshima, or 360 Kilotons!
We call had muchly bigger bangs in the 1950s and 1960s.

Heck, in the game Nuclear War, we had 100 Mega Ton bombs that rode atop Saturn V rockets… LOL! I love that game, to this day. I grew up in the Cold War era, and that game was just the cathartic outlet we needed back then. "What goes around, comes around," as they say. Catharsis, anyone: Nuclear War is still available?… Cheers!

"Do you have change for 100,000,000 people?"

Right. Because a larger nuclear weapon makes it somehow possible to win a nuclear holocaust.

We cannot afford a mineshaft gap!

If any country believes that they can win a nuke war, we are all in trouble. This is to keep up with the Wangs and Ivanovs.

General Turgidson believed we could win.

Just had to catch them with their pants down!

"Not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed up, but no more than 10-20 million casualties tops, depending on the breaks."

Kim

"Right. Because a larger nuclear weapon makes it somehow possible to win a nuclear holocaust."

You can win a nuclear holocaust by having such a large deterrent that no one will take the chance!

Problems happen when someone thinks you don't have enough.

The concept of "nuclear deterrence" depends entirely upon "the other side" believing that the … other side is rational.
Let's just say that the jury is out on that. 🙄
That was when it was 1:1. Then, a few more "rational" nations developed them.

But, it's been said that the only real atomic bomb secrets were that they worked. The rest is just engineering. 🤷
So, any nation with access to Uranium (virtually anybody) can make one. Shoot, they don't even have to stop at a mere atomic bomb. Google "Teller Ulam Configuration" for a handy Hydrogen Bomb blueprint.
Ignore Tom Clancy's assembly in The Sum of All Fears. He used plastic straws, and admitted it was wrong. I know what to get at Home Depot to ❌❌❌❌❌ instead.

Let us not forget the Cobalt Bomb: will destroy all life on this planet, with just one bomb explosion.

Change for 100,000,000 people? Nah, I'm all in with my Doomsday Cobalt Warhead… GAME OVER, EVERYBODY LOSES!!! YAY FOR ME -- I win by killing the planet!

Play another round?

Cheers!

| 24 times more powerful than Hiroshima bomb

360 kilotons. This is nothing abnormal.

Explode on the west coast and let the natural wind currents take the fallout over the rest of the USA. Also a west coast bomb might trigger additional earthquakes. At least that was an USSR strategy.

Well as long as many nations have nukes. They US can't afford to fall behind. Just like with any weapons systems. Plus tech advances very quickly. You don't want to go to war with old stuff.

And again it is critical that Iran does not get nukes. The last thing the West should want is a nuclear arms race in a region. Dominated by religious belief systems that calls everyone else "infidels". And if they die killing or trying to kill the infidels they go to paradise. So some my think they have nothing to lose. So to prevent this sort of thing happening, keep nukes far away from religious zealots. Even if they are a small minority. E.g. not giving Iran billions of $ was not the answer. But sadly that cat is out of the bag …

I've read that the Iranian Shia rulers are into the 12th Imam belief.
To a non-believer like myself, it seems kind of scary. Apocalyptic, and so on. One of the reasons "they" value martyrs and martyrdom.
It seems that "they" would love to "imanentize the eschaton". Bring on the End Times.
So, yes. Iran having nukes would indeed be scary.
So, as soon as the B2s strike, I'm putting in some in line purchases.

Yeah, sadly it has to be clear to almost everyone … Radical islamic fundamentalists, fanatics should never get nukes.

Rumors were UBL was looking to get a nuke or two or more. I'm sure if so, we will never know. Although this certainly seems like it could have been possible. Probable ?

Also, the rumor was the US POTUS at the time, IIRC Bush the Younger put the word out if they use nukes, Mecca & Medina would be turned to glass. I think this may a bit far fetched …

Another rumor was the US did capture a nuke from some islamic terrorists. The only details I heard, and it was sketchy. Never heard how the terrorists got the nuke and even who they were. Nor the specifics of how the US[and other allies] found out about the nuke, where it was and any mission details. E.g. like we did about the UBL, Al Baghdadi, etc. raids. Albeit some much of these ops would be beyond classified.

Supposedly US Spec Ops Forces[and possibly allies?] executed a raid. Retrieved the rogue nuke, etc., etc. killed some bad guys, maybe took some prisoners for intel gathering, etc. blew stuff up, etc.

Set up a clandestine base somewhere in the Jordanian Desert. Spec Ops troops of a number of branches, CIA, FBI, plus other US Military Forces e.g. USAF Security Forces[SPs], etc. were at this base. There was a big wooden box the size of the Volkswagen (?). That was very securely guarded. Withing the clandestine ops base. Big box was supposed to be giving off a Rad signature.

FWIW even US Army Infantry Cos. and USAF SPs have radiation detection equipment. And I'm sure they'd have brought that gear if sent on this mission.

I heard no other rumors … again it any of this is true it would be beyond classified. This event/scenario could have occurred or at be least possible, IMO. But I'm still not confident about the truth of it.

Would make a good movie though. Albeit Clancey even wrote a novel with something like this storyline. I remember a movie based on the book too. As usual the book was better than the movie. The bad guys were not islamic terrorists, but so wealthy Neo-Nazi 4th Reich group was behind this "diabolical and cunning" plan. Guess Hollywood didn't want to upset the islamic members of OPEC ?

TLA unravelling time…

UBL: Usama bin Laden
US: United States
POTUS: President of the United States
IIRC: If I recall correctly
Spec Ops: Special Operations
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
USAF: United States Air Force
FWIW: For what it's worth
IMO: In my opinion
Albeit Clancey: Dunno, try: Google – Abbey Clancy
OPEC: Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Sorry, I sometimes forget … Mea culpa …

Correct almost on all … Thanks ! 👍 However :

Tom Clancy [or is it Clancey?] wrote a book and then there was a movie … Can't remember what was the title of the book or names of movie ?

*[Don't know who the Hell Abbey Clancy is? 🤔🤨

Also, some great shout outs for the movie "Doctor Strangelove" ! 👍

If any country believes that they can win a nuke war, we are all in trouble.

That is for sure. However, at the time … and even now the concept of M.A.D.[Mutual Assured Destruction] was believed to have [some?] deterrent value. However, as we see today with islamic terrorists, they are a "death cult", they don't care if they die in their quest/jihad to kill the infidel.

The Clancy book is "The Sum of all Fears".
Some random Islamic terrorist group (does the name really matter?) find a nuke that Israeli military inadvertently lost. Far fetched, but recent events have shown me that logic and history aren't even on the same graph. 🤷🙄

Somehow, a frustrated East German nuclear scientist is recruited to re-build the Israeli nuke.
A Native American sun worshipper dude joins the Palestinian (?🙄🤷) nucular team, along with the Kraut. He takes them to the Super Bowl.

There are those who consider Clancy a genius. I think I've shown that his plots were as preposterous as today's current events. 🤷
The movie wasn't much more rational.

On a side note, when Clancy died, I was upset because I thought it was Tom Clancy of the Clancy Brothers. A first rate Irish singer instead of a hack thriller writer. Whatever. Well, the singer of "Red Haired Mary" soon passed too. I miss him more.

This Tom Clancy. 😄🎶
YouTube link

Legion +1

"However, as we see today with islamic terrorists, they are a "death cult", they don't care if they die in their quest/jihad to kill the infidel."

That's the author, book and movie I was thinking of OFM … +1 …

those who consider Clancy a genius.

Well he is a good writer for that type of fiction. He is known to do a lot of research before writing a book. Albeit it generally fiction, with a smattering on facts. Which makes for entertaining reading, even if not 100% accurate when weaving facts into a story line. Plus let's admit it, many when reading fiction like Clancey's, are just looking for some exciting reading.

As in the old Fredrick Forsythe novels. I read some of his books as well. While on active duty too. But sometimes in both authors' writings we may have seen beyond the fiction with some facts that sounded good. But may or may not have been that accurate or realistic.

OVI +1

Yes along as the jihadi is homicidal along being suicidal when it comes to killing the infidel. This makes him particularly dangerous. E.g. as with the IJFs in the early years in the PTO of WWII. It was only towards the very end of the war that large numbers of IJF EPWs were taken. They would almost never surrender. So they were killing one way or another.

The same goes for many jihadis. And it cost the non-combatants many deaths, etc. Which of course is part of the islamic terrorists' SOP. As we see, currently in Gaza, CD is immense. Albeit many of Hamas surrender/are taken prisoner. Regardless they are the instrument of their own genocide. Especially with still using the hostages for political, etc. messages, etc. So the IDF is going to eventually have to clear all of them out. Whether they were Hamas, supported Hamas or just in the line of fire … A lot of dead people … but it is clear … some of them deserve to die. i.e. 7 Oct …

Before I retired, I was involved in the elimination of chemical weapons owned by the USA. I was assigned to a county near the stockpile in Alabama. Our team also visited the mustard gas dominant storage facility in another State. We had mostly nerve gas and some blood agents. They had to dismantle and burn the equipment used to neutralize the agents.
Found out a lot about stuff I had rather not know. Oh well that was over 20 years ago.

Yeah, I don't think many know about WMDs and that all covers. In the US Army as many of us know, we all had NBC training and/or went to NBC school. Horrific stuff …

Which is a better way to die ? Nukes, bugs or gas.

When I was a 1LT in the 101, '80-'83, myself and another 1LT were chosen to go thru a short course to become the Bn Atomic Demolitions Mission Officers(ADMO). Basically, backpack low yield nuclear devices, 1/2 – 1 KT IIRC. Weighing about 60lbs, more or less. You had to get a TS SBI back then to go thru the training. Now you can find out about it online, the History, Travel, etc. Channels.

Basically … Would lead a small team of a Rifle Plt, with SATCOM to the JCS/CinC. Plus a 3-4 man CE Tm who would emplace and activate the ADM. And even an SF 12 man A Tm came along for the ride.

Inserted near/into the target area. Emplace the ADM, set timer, move to an extraction point or E and E back out of the AO, etc.

Of course, things would have had to be pretty bad to choose this option. Even though it is a low yield A-bomb. Chances are it may have been a one-way trip. But we were just training for another mission. However, would have a very low probability of having to execute it.