re: Navy Missile Sub Has Begun Its First Patrol Armed With Controversial Low Yield Nukes

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In the eyes of the world a nuke is a nuke

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The eyes of the world isn't the issue. The issue would be a politician with something prove deciding using one would be a ok option since its smaller. Easier to use sort of a thing.

The spade has been played twice.

That's the whole reason of debate of the necessity of the Atomic Bombings vs Olympic/Intimidate the Russians.

MAD only matters in civilized states which for the most part US/Russia/China are.

Even Pakistan and India recognize it.

Russia dropping the hints of tactical nukes is just an excuse though. That's just our old psyops games with each other like always. No one on either side wants the tit for tat that brings.

This is straight up for Middle East intimidation and some fool somewhere in the chain is pushing for a nuke strike on Iranian facilities. Probably wearing a Bolton pin on his lapel and jerking off to his fantasy of centrifuge destruction. All because he can't wait for the ME to get in a real dogfight with Israel again where they eventually do go Solomon.

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Again, in what way does this actually change things?

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IMO, it's too much of a temptation to use a nuclear device because the yield is lower and the risks to our forces are less. "Oh, this bomb is only 5kt and will only knock out a military base without massive civilian casualties and it doesn't involve flying a slow-arse C130 with a MOAB over enemy territory? Where's the launch button?"

To keep the spades analogy going, that's like playing a two of spades to trump a king of clubs. Yeah, it works, but now the playing field is wide open, and you can only player higher spades from here on out.

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The spade has been played twice.

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Eh, yeah. I concede that point to you. However, to keep this debate going, I come back by saying that spade was played before the rules of the game were written.

But then Ponchy Tiger brings up a good point about:

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I think the only situation where this is feasible is lets say some Iranian sponsored terrorist set off a suitcase nuke in Times Square or at a sporting event or some overseas base. No doubt thousands would be killed and suffer radiation poisoning. Would proper response be to turn Tehran into a sheet of glass and also infect neighboring countries with radiation fall out or a small strike as a warning that next will be to make Iran a part of histories past.

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In this situation someone a-hole played a spade before they were allowed to play one, and the knee-jerk reaction is to hit back hard. That's a tough one. I'd hope we'd be the bigger person and hit back conventionally, but even I'd find it hard not to go all whoop-arse on the jihadist.

All that's a roundabout way to say I don't know. Nukes are a touchy subject. I'd rather they didn't exist, but they do, so we have to deal with it. I just think it's a pandora's box if we use one, no matter how small.

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We’d most definitely have had another massive war or two or multiple if they didn’t.

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We still will at some point. They have probably delayed things at least.

490 foot wide fireball?

Psht, just a little boop nuke.

Makes the world safer. It's a fantastic deterrent.

It's relatively small footprint make it perfect for taking out military bases and nuclear facilities without causing a lot of collateral damage. It's not going to be casually used.

Just possessing it is a plus.

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I’m convinced that 90% of the people who will be outraged about this have zero fricking clue what a ‘low yield nuke’ is

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Absolute truth. Usually the loudest on any issue are the least informed.

Go. Back. To. Reddit.

Nothing about this changes MAD.

MAD exists because “high yield” Nuclear weapons exist and more than one country has them in bulk.

Making smaller nuclear weapons that are “low yield” is no different than other big bombs.

Nothing changes.


Are you joking? Did you even think about it before reposting something someone else said online?

Nuke laden submarines. What could possibly go wrong? Humans get more and more efficient in their efforts to kill each other.