I don't think even the US has harbored the insane notion that you could strike all of the missile silos and avoid retaliation. The operating principal for nucl

I don't think even the US has harbored the insane notion that you could strike all of the missile silos and avoid retaliation. The operating principal for nuclear missiles is Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). This goes double if nuclear submarines exist (they do). Plus nuclear bunkers are supposed to be hardened against nuclear strike. So they could absorb the hit and still launch. Nuclear weapons are actually pretty poor at destroying protected underground facilities. You need something completely different: a heavy piercing bunker buster bomb full of conventional explosives. Plus, even if you were magically successful in destroying all of your opponent's nukes without retaliation you've still completely wrecked the environment. Fallout and nuclear winter are still going to ruin your victory.