The premise of MAD is the enemy will fire back as with conventional warfare. But if US nukes Moscow, Moscow retaliating by by nuking DC will only assure destruc

The premise of MAD is the enemy will fire back as with conventional warfare. But if US nukes Moscow, Moscow retaliating by by nuking DC will only assure destruction of St. Petersburg and other cities and locations, not retaliating in fear of further escalation is a very real scenario. But military minds prepare for the worst. The damage caused by the first strike as well as the success of the retaliation attempts can heavily influence victory and escalation. I call it Pharoh's dillema. When Moses caused all the horrible things to happen, the pharoh gave in but changed his mind eventually. But when his precious first born died, he gave in for good. Kind of how nagasaki needed to happen instead of just hiroshima. Realistic capability means little when facing grand and unthinkable loss.