Simutainous mutual launch at nontargets. Like I said, maybe a meteor or somthing triggers Deadhand and the man/men in the loop wigs out and concede to launch without retargeting. But there is no way the US retaliates by pointlessly nukeing the pacific, in fact I doubt they launch at all
I don't see a way for both superpowers to have a mutual accidental launch. In fact the only way anything close to this can happen is some sort if accidental triggering of Russian/Soviet Deadhand System. Even that is unlikely as to my understanding there is a man in the loop still with Deadhand...
Maybe someone does a timeline where instead of being obsessed with building a bigger bomb, Edward Teller wants to build more compact and usable devices?
I've read that they tried to aerosolize AIDS but were unsuccessful. If that is true, then it is indicative of institutional insanity on their part.
Then there is this den of nightmares: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_bioweapon
Actually around 1975, the Soviets began rethinking nuclear warfighting. Though their publicly stated doctrine was "no first use" and "massive retaliation", in actuality they developed the tactics and weaponry to fight both theatre and limited wars...
Bankrupt themselves trying to build a sci-fi super bomb so large it would be undeliverable, whose very use would destroy mankind starting with the Soviet Union?
Naturally we would have to respond by building Ed Tellers 10Gt SUNDIAL design and probably an unstoppable death ray while we are at it
Post WW3 1989: East german commandos attempt to stop a peace agreement that will disolve their country, but the didn't count one thing...A vacationing loose cannon NYPD detective who doesn't always play by the rules.
To get something like Orion to go ahead needs a powerful catalyst such as
1. Limited nuclear exchange.
2. Sudden severe energy crisis.
3. Impending extinction level event.
4. Impending alien visitation.
The point being that if Orion is politically feasible, then the world is screwed up...
Entirely off topic but I feel the need to defend a maligned vehicle
The M151 and M151A1 model had a tendancey to roll during high speed turns on paved surfaces. This was only a minor design flaw b driver twith but it was magnified by driver training issues (Drivers having a tendancey to drive...
The problem with this thread is there are no specifics to this scenario.
Is the WW2 force an actual Allied or Axis power? A modern power who has decided to revert to using outdated tech? Is it the combined nations of the world during a specific year from 1939-1945?
Is the modern force a...
The true benifit of an ABM system is uncertainty
Uncertainty in the mind of an aggressor (First Strike scenario) that
decapitation will be achieved and that the defenders offensive forces will be sufficently degraded (leaving the defender with no option but capitulation)
This uncertainty...
Relax, Hypotheticals are encouraged as long as they are used to underscore the inferiority of the capitalist system.
For instance, If the capitalist US survived to the era of nation wide shared data networks, do you think they would keep them confined to military purposes or would American...
The military just made a very painful transition to an all volunteer force and its starting to pay off. All Volunteer is the way of the future and any officer worth his salt knows this.
The republicans oppose it, as do the vast majority of the democrats. Its political suicide for whoever...
Since relations normalized in 1997, trade with Vietnam has taken off. Now there are Burger Kings in Hanoi (soon Mcdonalds) the Vietnamese are growing increaseingly addicted to American products.
Vietnam is looking to the United States and US aligned nations for assurances against an...
So, presuming continuance of late cold war defense budgets for the US (no START or INF?) and based on my existing knowlege and a little bit of research. Please keep in mind a lot the items on this list would likely succumb to budget cuts, politics and perhaps in some cases, technical...