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EMP over the Pacific primarily targets military communications, preventing an organized conventional response. Cyberstrikes are used to pressure the civilian po
by s_q_b 13y ago
EMP over the Pacific primarily targets military communications, preventing an organized conventional response. Cyberstrikes are used to pressure the civilian population into demanding peace.
Theoretically you could just blanket the North American continent with a few EMPs, but you'd likely provoke a nuclear response or an all-out war, hardly the desired resolution for China in such a scenario.
- rdl 13y agoI'm still amazed that until maybe 2002, the Chinese nuclear arsenal was most likely smaller than the (unconfirmed) Israeli arsenal, at around 50 weapons -- a genuine deterrent, but certainly not enough to wage a first strike, and probably not survivable vs. a counterforce first strike from US or Russia (probably enough vs. India/UK/France, though). Apparently they've stepped up to surpass the Europeans, though.
- caf 13y agoThis strategy is known as "Minimum Deterrence". Jeffrey Lewis has written a book on the PRC's strategic nuclear force posture that explores this: http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/minimum-means-reprisal http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/minimum-means-reprisal ...and a short essay on the broader concept of Minimum Deterrence: http://newamerica.net/node/8908 http://newamerica.net/node/8908 China's force is intended to be survivable despite its small size. Their ICBM force is road-mobile, launched from TELs rather than fixed silos.