owlsbooks Chapter 2186
Chapter 2186
Chapter 2186
People only make the most extreme choices when they are most desperate.
You have to know that this idea of everyone being doomed together is not something the United States has only just come up with now. As early as the Cold War, the Americans had already formulated a plan.
[Nuclear war plan that leaves no one behind]
In 2015, the University of Washington archives disclosed a document that shocked the world, detailing the nuclear war strategy developed by the United States during the Cold War. This plan not only lists potential target countries for attack, but also accurately specifies specific regions and the number of nuclear bombs to be dropped.
Why did the United States develop such a detailed and highly deterrent plan? Why was this plan finally stopped? To answer these questions, we need to deeply analyze the international situation at that time and the strategic considerations of the United States. From a historical perspective, the United States' move was mainly due to the need to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In order to deal with potential military threats, the United States invested a lot of resources and developed this plan with wide coverage and strong execution. However, with the changes in the international situation, especially after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the necessity of this plan has gradually decreased. At the same time, the high cost of maintaining the plan has also become a factor that the US government has to consider. In addition, domestic and foreign public opinion pressure and the emergence of new security threats have prompted the United States to re-evaluate its strategic layout. In the end, after comprehensively considering many factors, the US government decided to terminate this plan and instead invest resources in strategic deployments that are more in line with the current international situation.
The destructive power of nuclear weapons is unparalleled and is the most deadly threat facing mankind. For this reason, countries that master nuclear technology will sign relevant agreements to do their best to prevent the outbreak of nuclear conflicts. This weapon is so destructive that no country dares to use it easily, and can only ensure peace through diplomatic means. Once a nuclear war breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous, so all countries are cautious, fearing that the guns will be fired accidentally. By signing an agreement, everyone restrains each other and jointly maintains world peace. This weapon is so powerful that no one dares to act rashly, and can only sit down and negotiate to prevent the situation from getting out of control. The nuclear agreement is like an umbrella that allows countries to remain calm under the threat of nuclear weapons and jointly protect the safety of the earth. The nuclear strikes carried out by the United States on Japan during World War II are one of the most influential military operations in history. In August 1945, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing huge damage. The two cities were almost razed to the ground after the explosion, and the infrastructure was severely damaged. Japan suffered an unprecedented blow.
The extreme high temperature generated by the atomic bomb explosion can reach about 4000 degrees, and this heat spreads rapidly in all directions. Since Japan is an island country surrounded by the ocean, when this heat touches the sea surface, the seawater is heated to boiling in a very short time. For people in the center of the explosion, this high temperature is fatal. Many people are instantly vaporized by the high temperature, leaving no trace. Even those at the edge of the explosion range are not immune, and most of them suffer severe burns or scalds.
The nuclear weapons development blueprint formulated by the United States in 1959 pushed the horror of nuclear war to a new height. This document, titled "1959 Atomic Weapons Research Requirements", detailed the research and development direction and use strategy of nuclear weapons, and its content was shocking far beyond the ordinary people's understanding of nuclear weapons. It not only demonstrated the ambition of the United States in the field of nuclear technology at that time, but also revealed the cruel reality of the nuclear arms race between major powers. This plan marked that the development of nuclear weapons had entered a more dangerous stage and provided a clear direction for the subsequent development and deployment of nuclear weapons. This document of more than 800 pages systematically planned the nuclear strike plan, specifically indicating the number of targets to be hit in each city. The document covers a wide area from eastern Germany, through Moscow, and extending to China, and fully outlines the strategic bombing layout across the Eurasian continent. Moscow and Leningrad were identified as the main targets of the attack, and it was expected to suffer more than attacks, which were strong enough to completely destroy the two cities.
After the defeat in the Korean War, the antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union continued to heat up, and the two sides were on the verge of a third world war. Faced with the growing military strength of the Soviet Union, the United States was deeply uneasy and had to prepare for a rainy day and urgently formulated a nuclear strike plan against the Soviet Union. This plan detailed the nuclear strike actions that the United States might take in extreme circumstances to ensure its own strategic security.
The Soviet Union's air force was almost unmatched at the time, which posed a major threat to the United States. In addition, the Soviet Union also had a powerful nuclear arsenal. Therefore, in the US strategic plan, the primary goal was to strike Soviet airfields and change the nuclear explosion from air to ground detonation to produce a greater destructive effect. The core purpose of this strategy was to do everything possible to prevent the Soviet Union from using nuclear weapons first.
The US Strategic Command has made it clear that even if it is impossible to completely contain enemy actions, it is necessary to ensure that these cities are destroyed on a large scale and in a comprehensive manner. They stressed that even if defense measures fail to work, strategic strikes must be used to completely destroy the infrastructure and key targets of these cities in order to weaken their functions and combat capabilities.
This is a hysterical fear!
In the 20th century, the Cold War almost defined the direction of the world order, especially the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. As the world's largest economic power, the United States has a military strength several times that of the Soviet Union, advanced nuclear weapons and a global economic network. Why is it so afraid of the Soviet Union? The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was a strategic contest that went beyond conventional military confrontation. On the surface, the Soviet Union's military strength was not as strong as that of the United States, and its economic scale was far less than half of that of the United States. However, the United States' fear of the Soviet Union did not only come from the threat of nuclear weapons. Rather, in the contest of ideology, social system and global hegemony, the United States found that the existence of the Soviet Union meant that the leading position of the capitalist model it represented in the world was unprecedentedly challenged.
The real core of the Cold War is not simply military confrontation, but the conflict between two social systems and ideologies.
As the core of the global capitalist camp, the United States strives to unify global ideas and values by promoting free markets and democratic politics.
In the eyes of Americans, the Soviet Union is a dangerous example. The existence of the Soviet Union has, to a large extent, challenged the values of "freedom and democracy" advocated by the United States. More importantly, through its strong social mobilization capabilities, the Soviet Union has proved that a country can achieve rapid development in science and technology, military, economy, etc. without capitalism and market economy. In other words, the Soviet Union not only threatens the United States militarily, but also threatens the United States ideologically. The United States is afraid that if most countries in the world accept socialist values, the capitalist model will face unprecedented challenges. It can be seen that during the Cold War, the Soviet Union was not just a military competitor.
The socialist ideology it represented quickly spread throughout the world.
Whether in Eastern Europe, Latin America, or Asia, people in many countries and regions began to doubt the capitalist model. They believed that the socialist system could better guarantee fairness and equality, especially the interests of the working class. The expansion of this idea made the United States feel strongly uneasy about the Soviet Union. Not only that, the success of the Soviet Union promoted the socialist movement around the world. The spread of this culture, especially in third world countries, brought tremendous pressure to the United States. During the Cold War, the United States continued to increase its suppression of public opinion against the Soviet Union, using media, culture and other means to try its best to deny the success of the Soviet model. However, the economic and social achievements of the Soviet Union cannot be ignored. In particular, its rise during the Great Depression allowed the world to see the possibility of another social model. Although the United States continued to promote the superiority of capitalism, many oppressed groups and developing countries began to yearn for the Soviet system.
This is ideological despair... After all, no one knows what capitalism is better than itself.
When was the American working class the most comfortable and energetic? The answer is during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union still existed! At that time, capital had to give profits to workers, and even invented a special word for it... called the middle class!
This extreme fear gave rise to the so-called final plan, which was to destroy everyone together!
However, this did not happen in the end. In 1959, Khrushchev was invited by the United States to visit the United States to explore solutions to the Berlin crisis. This visit not only marked the first time that a Soviet leader set foot on American soil, but also played a key role in easing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, becoming an important turning point during the Cold War. During this meeting, the two sides agreed to give priority to non-military means in dealing with disputes in the future and explicitly prohibit the use of nuclear weapons. During Khrushchev's visit to the United States, he impressed the American people. He visited the Gast Farm and expressed high praise for the vast cornfield. In addition, he also visited Disneyland and had dinner with the famous movie star Marilyn Monroe. These actions changed the American people's previous views on the Soviet Union and believed that Khrushchev was very approachable. This visit gave the United States a new view of the Soviet Union and greatly promoted the improvement of relations between the two sides. At the same time, voices opposing nuclear war also emerged in the United States. Europe strongly resisted this plan because many European countries were allies of the United States. Once a war broke out, the Soviet Union would likely launch an attack on Europe, which would undoubtedly be a huge threat to European countries. Based on these factors, the plan was eventually shelved.
But now, this decision was not made out of fear... but desperation!
There is no way to deal with these enemies!!!
"Mr. President, it's time to make a decision! We must do something, otherwise we will be powerless to fight back!"
The old general continues to put pressure on the president!
He wasn't lying, it happened very suddenly and not all of America's nuclear bombs were in launch mode.
In fact, the maximum number is only 600!
After all, a nuclear bomb needs to be launched to exert its power.
The United States currently has 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines, each of which can carry 24 Trident II intercontinental ballistic missiles, each of which can carry multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads. In other words, the United States' sea-based nuclear forces alone have at least 288 intercontinental ballistic missiles, which may carry more than 1000 nuclear warheads. The United States also has 400 Minuteman III land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, plus a fleet of stealth nuclear bombers. These nuclear bombers are not only technologically advanced, have long ranges, and high projection accuracy, but can also carry a variety of types of nuclear warheads.
The other nuclear warheads are in storage. It takes time to transport them out and load them onto the launchers!
In the 2024 Nuclear Manual edited by American Christensen: The United States has 3708 nuclear warheads, of which 1770 warheads are deployed and 1938 are in reserve. In addition, there are 1336 retired warheads waiting to be destroyed. The current total number of nuclear warheads is 5044. Of the 1770 deployed warheads, 400 are located on land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, 970 are installed on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, 300 are located at bomber bases of the US Air Force, and there are about 100 tactical aerial bombs deployed at bases in Europe. The United States' nuclear weapons are stored in 11 states in the mainland and 5 European countries, with a total of about 24 storage locations. The place with the largest number of nuclear weapons is the Kitland Large Ammunition and Technology Maintenance Underground Storage Center in New Mexico. Washington State ranks second in the number of nuclear weapons because it is home to the Kitsap Naval Submarine Base, which has more nuclear weapons prepared for submarines than any other base in the United States.
But the problem is that as the mutations continue, the mobilization capabilities of the United States will continue to decline. By then, it will be unknown how many nuclear bombs can be mobilized.
But Benjamin still couldn't make up his mind!
If they were to drop a nuclear bomb on another country... Benjamin would have accepted it with gritted teeth, but now they are going to drop a nuclear bomb on his own head!
Who has such a big heart? ! !
But what the old general said was also very right. Things have come to this point. Either we fight to the death, or we won’t even have a chance to fight!
While Benjamin was hesitating, the general walked directly to the president and took out a box from the two followers behind him!
The "nuclear briefcase" refers to a briefcase held by the President of the United States, usually carried by a full-time assistant, which contains communicators and nuclear codes related to nuclear war.
In the past, control of the nuclear briefcase could be conveniently transferred between the old and new presidents in person at the presidential handover ceremony. However, Trump refused to attend the presidential handover ceremony, and the "nuclear briefcase" in his hand could not be temporarily entrusted to a third party for safekeeping. What should he do?
There are at least three "nuclear briefcases", carried by the president, vice president and "designated survivor", but only the "nuclear briefcase" in the hands of the president is activated. Therefore, before the presidential handover ceremony begins, Biden can get an unactivated "nuclear briefcase". After he is sworn in as the President of the United States, a military assistant will activate this "nuclear briefcase", and the "nuclear briefcase" in Trump's hands will be invalid, and the control of the world's most powerful nuclear arsenal will be transferred. The nuclear briefcase of the US president can actually be seen on TV often. The appearance of this box is a black soft leather bag, weighing about 20 kilograms. It is carried by a soldier beside the US president at all times, commonly known as the "nuclear football". From the outside, the nuclear briefcase is not a device that can have a "nuclear button". But inside it is super strong titanium metal with a strong combination lock. The box contains three main items: an instruction manual with a nuclear list that lists the locations and routes that the United States' 900 nuclear weapons can strike; a radio transceiver that can resist strong interference and is used to receive information and issue emergency communication instructions in emergencies; and multiple code verifiers that are used to verify the president's exclusive code. This code is nicknamed "Biscuit" and is required to be carried by the president at all times.
It is a soft black leather bag with titanium metal packaging sewn under the leather, weighing about 20 kilograms and equipped with a combination lock. Inside the suitcase is a satellite signal transmitter and receiver with a confidential telephone function, which can directly communicate with the Pentagon's Nuclear War Center and the US Air Force Command.
There are several other things in the suitcase, including a "black manual" with a nuclear attack action plan, recording the number of U.S. nuclear bombs, deployment locations, and scheduled launch routes. There is also a list of secret bases that the president can use in an emergency and a national broadcast program file after the president launches a nuclear attack. However, this briefcase alone cannot issue a nuclear order, and it needs to be combined with the "golden code" held by the president.
The process for the US President to order a nuclear strike is generally as follows:
First, the president must use a plastic card to confirm his identity before he can open the nuclear briefcase. This card has a nickname "biscuit" and is printed with a list of "golden codes" provided by the NSA. These codes change every day. After passing the verification, the president can select the nuclear strike target from the black manual and convey the order to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff waiting in the Pentagon's operations room and the US Strategic Command Center at Offutt Air Force Base. After the troops receive the launch code from the command center, they open the safe and verify it with the code stored in the safe. The launch operation can only be carried out after the two codes match.