Quote:
Originally Posted by Volunteer
Its my understanding that Russian military doctrine never discarded the use of smaller tactical nuclear weapons, and I wonder if that is correct and moreover if that is also Chinese doctrine.
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China was the first country to pledge a "no first use" policy way back in the early 60's. However, I think it is naive for ANY military planner to hang their hat on the idea of a "no first strike" policy.
First and foremost - the USA dropped not one but TWO atomic bombs to signal the beginning of the global nuclear arms race. Any chatter that the USA is an arrow straight "no first use" country is an intentional refusal to acknowledge that we are the first and only country in the world (so far) to use nukes against an enemy...
So...
...no first use = not so much
Everyone else uses the ambiguity of "defensive use" of nukes. In other words, if a division of Russian tanks comes barreling through the Fulda Gap - nukes would be used to defend Europe...
...which is the opposite of "no first strike"
Otherwise, for decades NATO quietly maintained a "flexible response" policy that was the very heart and soul of "mutually assured destruction" as a deterrent. All the way back to Eisenhower - the US has silently maintained a policy that "if things get too crazy - we WILL put a mushroom cloud over your cities"
Equally important to the ruse that "we only use nukes defensively" is the threat that your homes will be uninhabitable for the next 10,000 years.
...Hiroshima and Nagasaki were back in business by the mid-1950s; hardly the 10,000 year post apocalyptic wasteland that is seen in the movies. Bombs don't have all that much material in them and they are usually detonated above ground to maximize the damage. More damage means less persistent radiation on the ground post blast. Its the FEAR of mutually assured destruction that keeps everyone from shooting radioactive missiles back and forth.
People that think the USA is an altar boy that feeds the global poor and helps little old ladies across the street are also the people that live with their heads in the proverbial sand; the USA will straight fuck you up and stab you AND your loved ones in the back if you piss us off or try to fuck us over.
The REAL problem is, the Russians and Chinese will both scorch the earth before they will loose a war to the USA.
...and many of the 65 million Americans that voted to make Bill Clinton's wife a president would be quite satisfied if we surrendered in lieu of polluting the environment with a nuke.
"No First Use" is an illusory term used to keep dirty sweaty smelly dope smoking hippies from protesting in public and preventing decent Americans from getting to work on time.
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