1) Weapons of mass destruction such as chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons have enormous destructive potential despite their small size and relatively low cost of production. They can also be deployed on ballistic missiles and are difficult to contain due to the threat of proliferation.
2) Nuclear weapons function through either fission, which splits atomic nuclei, or fusion, which fuses atomic nuclei. Fission weapons were first developed by the United States and are less sophisticated with lower yields, while thermonuclear fusion weapons have much higher yields but require more advanced technology.
3) A hypothetical 150-kiloton nuclear weapon detonated in Manhattan would result in 900,000 injuries and 800,000 deaths, overwhelming the local medical
Several Third World countries are contemplating the development of nuclear attack submarines to augment their diesel-electric fleets-like the Brazilian Tupi seen here. Are nuclear submarines a first step toward the acquisition of nuclear weapons-or simply part of a developing country's evolution toward a first-class navy?
Nuclear Weapons: Their Effect On Us & Our World - Courtney Carter Courtney Carter
I chose this topic because everyone in the global community, including myself, needs to be informed about nuclear weapons and how they could affect us in a very major way if the global society doesn't keep each other in check. I enjoyed learning more about nuclear weapons than I already knew and I hope you do too.
Several Third World countries are contemplating the development of nuclear attack submarines to augment their diesel-electric fleets-like the Brazilian Tupi seen here. Are nuclear submarines a first step toward the acquisition of nuclear weapons-or simply part of a developing country's evolution toward a first-class navy?
Nuclear Weapons: Their Effect On Us & Our World - Courtney Carter Courtney Carter
I chose this topic because everyone in the global community, including myself, needs to be informed about nuclear weapons and how they could affect us in a very major way if the global society doesn't keep each other in check. I enjoyed learning more about nuclear weapons than I already knew and I hope you do too.
This section of Solutions for America talks about the very real threat of nuclear war that faces America. It discusses how to approach these issues safely and conservatively.
This section of Solutions for America talks about the very real threat of nuclear war that faces America. It discusses how to approach these issues safely and conservatively.
IAI seminar on "The Fight against ISIS and the US Policy in the Middle East", with Daniel Serwer, Middle East Institute and School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Rome, 19 March 2015
Man made disasters are hazards caused by human action or inaction. They are contrasted with natural hazards. Man made disasters may adversely affect humans, other organisms and ecosystems. The frequency and severity of hazards are key elements in some risk analysis methodologies.
A natural vibration of the ground or the earth crust produced by forces is called earthquake or seismic forces.
An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another.
Save Our Environment, Stop Nuclear Energy UsageSourish Jana
Spread this presentation by sharing to everyone so that the adverse effect of Nuclear Fission can be stopped otherwise the end of the days after tomorrow will come soon.
“From Collective Responsibility to Collective Solution: The Shared History Korean Peninsula Crises,” presented by Dr. Mark E. Caprio at ICAS on February 21, 2019.
This presentation was given as part of the Cross-Domain Deterrence Seminar hosted by the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in November 2014.
1. Weapons of Mass Destruction
Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Weapons
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2. WMD: General Characteristics
• Enormous potential lethality
• Small size
• Modest cost
• Relative lack of discrimination
• Can be deployed on ballistic missiles
• Potential for proliferation
• Deterrence
• Equalizers
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3. Nuclear Weapons: Fission
Atomic bombs or A-bombs
One type of atom is split (fissioned) into new
types with less total mass
Lost mass is transformed into energy; E=mc2
Fissionable material=U-235 or plutonium
Crude and low yield
Less sophisticated
Within the capacity of many states
1-200 kiloton
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4. Nuclear Weapons: Fusion
Thermonuclear, hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs
Two small atoms (variants of hydrogen) fuse together
into a larger atom energy
Extremely expensive and technologically demanding
1-20 megatons
Too powerful and largely irrelevant
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5. Nuclear Weapons: Effects
• 50% Blast
Shock wave radiating outward
Produces sudden changes in air pressure and high winds
Most damage
• 35% Thermal radiation
Heat wave traveling at ~ speed of light
Flash blindness
Skin burns when closer to explosion
Fires
• 15% Nuclear radiation
• Fallout
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6. New York City Example
• Assumptions:
▫ 150 kiloton bomb is detonated in Manhattan
▫ No warning
▫ Clear weather
▫ Daytime – population density =125K/sm
▫ Shock wave spreads uniformly
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13. NYC: Summary
• Manhattan is an island help from the outside is
slow in coming
• Most of Manhattan is without utilities for weeks
• Tunnels and bridges are gone rescue and recovery
is difficult
• 900,000 people injured beyond the ability of the
medical system to respond
• 800,000 killed
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14. Nuclear-Armed States
Country Active Warheads Total Warheads
United Sates (1945) 2626 9400
Russia (1949) 4650 12000
United Kingdom (1952) <160 185
France (1960) ~300 300
China (1964) ~180 240
India (1974) - 60-80
Pakistan (1998) - 70-90
North Korea (2006) - <10
Israel (19??) - 80
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15. Nuclear Deterrence
• In deterrence, the effort is merely to dissuade
another state, through the threat of force, from
doing something it has not yet undertaken; it is
not actually required to change a course of
action.
• Extended deterrence - threats designed to
protect allies.
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16. Minimum / Finite Deterrence
• Requires only a small # of weapons that can be used against
an adversary
• Nukes are used to threaten attack against an adversary,
typically against population centers
• Cannot realistically choose to engage in actual warfighting
against another nuclear power
• Not enough weapons to destroy or substantially weaken
enemy’s warfighting capabilities
• Based on a threat of punishment should another country
undertake aggression
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17. Problems with Minimum/Finite Deterrence
• Breakdown of deterrence could maximize human
costs of nuclear war
• Decision makers under pressure may fail to evaluate
the situation / launch on warning
• Offensive forces must survive an attack first
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18. Second-Strike Capability
• A country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear
attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the
attacker.
• Beyond numbers, measures that increase survivability
include:
▫ Hardening (fortifying or shielding warheads)
▫ Mobility (aircraft, submarines)
▫ Dispersion (spreading bases and launchers)
▫ Diversification (aircraft, land-based missiles, submarine-
launched missiles)
▫ Strategic defense (antiaircraft and antimissile defense)
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19. Mutually Assured Destruction
• Full-scale use of nuclear weapons by one of two sides
would result in the mutual destruction of both the
attacker and the attacked.
• For the mutual destruction to be assured both sides
ought to poses second strike nuclear capability, which
would guarantee that neither adversary could survive
an all-out-war.
• Fear of retaliation is sufficient to prevent an attack
• Deterrence depends of mutual vulnerability
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20. Problems with MAD
1. No prevention of the second strike by the first strike
2. No false positives
3. No camouflage-launching
4. No means of delivery that do not have characteristic of
long range missile delivery (detectable before detonation)
5. Perfect rationality (rogue states/commanders)
6. Perfect attribution
7. No anti-missile technology / shelters
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