General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNuclear war
I know were still way off from nuclear war but it got me thinking.
If Russia launched nukes at the US, should the US do the same?
A Russian nuclear attack would ravage the world environment, but if the US retalliates it would double the damage.
jcgoldie
(11,631 posts)Zane_G
(17 posts)abqtommy
(14,118 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)MarineCombatEngineer
(12,375 posts)MarineCombatEngineer
(12,375 posts)We just sit there and take it?
What kind of nonsense is this?
Of course we should, and would retaliate.
Dan
(3,562 posts)If the POTUS and Military refused to act - then there would be no US.,
Thats why they call it MAD.
There are no good answers
that is why everyone is trying to keep this to a conventional war in whatever form.
mvd
(65,173 posts)And thats coming from someone who is very anti-war.
tinymontgomery
(2,584 posts)thucythucy
(8,050 posts)to give us some warning.
Satellites can detect the heat signature of missiles being warmed for takeoff, or so I've been told.
This would enable us to a) warn the Russians we know what's coming and they'd better stand down or else or b) take out their sites pre-emptively.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work for submarine-based launches. On the other hand, I think our navy has a pretty good grip on where Russian ballistic subs are at any given time.
That's my hope anyway.
Another hope, hopefully not forlorn, is that the Russian military would dispose of Putin rather than obey such an order.
Just saying.
harumph
(1,900 posts)There should be no question or doubts about this.
That's the entire concept of deterrence. And guess what, some of those
incoming Russian missiles will be intercepted - while probably
none of the US ones will. Have a nice day!
Wingus Dingus
(8,052 posts)First strike is basically national suicide.
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)If grasshoppers had machine guns, birds wouldn't fuck with em.
Metaphorical
(1,603 posts)Don'cha know that America is protected by the Jewish Space Lasers. That's what QAnon says, anyway.
My bigger worry is that Putin uses the nukes on Kyiv.
Beastly Boy
(9,342 posts)If Russia strikes, do you really think they will never strike again unless they are prevented from striking again? If Russia is not stopped, it could easily triple the damage, with Russia in full control of where, when and how the damage gets done.
revmclaren
(2,523 posts)Mutual Assured Destruction.
If Russia launched a nuclear first strike on the United States or any NATO ally, we would immediately retaliate in kind.
Just our submarine launched missiles could lay waste to Russia twice over. Not that there would be anything left to take out after the fire storms, fallout, and decades long nuclear winter.
But simple answer....yes.
Crunchy Frog
(26,582 posts)Groundhawg
(550 posts)ymetca
(1,182 posts)Think of your precious bodily fluids!
MarineCombatEngineer
(12,375 posts)duck, place head firmly between legs, kiss ass goodbye.
manicdem
(388 posts)I get mutual destruction, but what about the rest of the world? If Russia wipes out the US, but US doesn't retaliate, that means less nuclear fallout for other countries out there and greater possibility humans will survive.
Straw Man
(6,624 posts)Such a nuclear exchange would involve the entire developed world, one way or another. An attack on the US, whether we retaliated or not, would invoke Article 5, and NATO would respond. Then, as Sherlock Holmes would say, "The game's afoot!"
Yeah just letem nuke us.. wow.. good luck with that LoL.
LiberatedUSA
(1,666 posts)If we are going to be obliterated, they will be too. It isnt mutually assured destruction if you neglect to launch your own nukes in return.