4 ms·

Yeah. You might be court martialed afterwards, but there are plenty of links in the chain, down to the guys in the silos saying “but really?”. I also find it a

Yeah. You might be court martialed afterwards, but there are plenty of links in the chain, down to the guys in the silos saying “but really?”. I also find it an odd standard to treat nukes differently than any other military action. You think we don’t have enough traditional options to level London on a Tuesday afternoon? It seems like the President is either the CinC or he isn’t...

snoshy 6y ago
> You think we don’t have enough traditional options to level London on a Tuesday afternoon? I actually don't think there are any that are feasible. Leveling a city the size of London is no small feat, and amassing the troops and weaponry required to carry it out seems like a complicated enough exercise that it would take longer than "Tuesday afternoon". Not that I don't think it can be done, but just that moving a large traditional military apparatus, or even mustering enough conventional missiles to flatten an area that large seems like it would take far longer than that. The "shock and awe" campaign waged on Baghdad might be similar in scale within about an order of magnitude, and it certainly took a heck of a lot longer than an afternoon, although the goal was never to level the city in its entirety.
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
  Why flatten? Just a few supersonic booms near ground level would shatter much glass. The facades may be rated for storms and thunder, but the pressure gradients of low flying supersonic jets?
iso1631 6y ago
Nukes level London in 5 minutes (and the launch alone initiates MAD from China and Russia before they realise what the target it) That's not enough time for the VP and cabinet to 25th amendment and cancel the orders.
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
  Is that so? I heard there are cruise missiles able to do the job. No need for ICBM glaring in infrared and the visible spectrum all over the skies.

snoshy 6y ago

> You think we don’t have enough traditional options to level London on a Tuesday afternoon? I actually don't think there are any that are feasible. Leveling a city the size of London is no small feat, and amassing the troops and weaponry required to carry it out seems like a complicated enough exercise that it would take longer than "Tuesday afternoon". Not that I don't think it can be done, but just that moving a large traditional military apparatus, or even mustering enough conventional missiles to flatten an area that large seems like it would take far longer than that. The "shock and awe" campaign waged on Baghdad might be similar in scale within about an order of magnitude, and it certainly took a heck of a lot longer than an afternoon, although the goal was never to level the city in its entirety.

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
Why flatten? Just a few supersonic booms near ground level would shatter much glass. The facades may be rated for storms and thunder, but the pressure gradients of low flying supersonic jets?

iso1631 6y ago

Nukes level London in 5 minutes (and the launch alone initiates MAD from China and Russia before they realise what the target it) That's not enough time for the VP and cabinet to 25th amendment and cancel the orders.

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
Is that so? I heard there are cruise missiles able to do the job. No need for ICBM glaring in infrared and the visible spectrum all over the skies.