"Limited nuclear wars" that don't spiral into global conflict

While the use of nuke at sea has always been more relaxed due to less collateral damage, many people overestimate the effectiveness of tactical nukes, as modern fleets are dispersed over a very wide area:
I was under the impression that tac nukes were perceived as having some utility for ASW ?

(Ie. Close probably counts with a nuke against an underwater target :) , I believe shock waves travel quite well thru water etc..)
 

Jack Brisco

Banned
One reasonably plausible depiction of a limited nuclear war between the USA and USSR and the aftermath is the book Warday, by Strieber and Kunetka. Came out in 1984. Still well worth reading. Available on Amazon. Probably in most libraries. Might find an old copy in a used bookstore.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warday
 
Korea could have gone nuclear if Truman hadn't acted against MacArthur, and I suspect that the Soviets wouldn't respond for fear of annihilation by that crazy guy with the corn cob pipe and a huge stockpile of atomic weapons. On the other hand, this means that both blocs would feel more comfortable employing A-Bombs in future proxy wars... :p
 
Korea could have gone nuclear if Truman hadn't acted against MacArthur, and I suspect that the Soviets wouldn't respond for fear of annihilation by that crazy guy with the corn cob pipe and a huge stockpile of atomic weapons. On the other hand, this means that both blocs would feel more comfortable employing A-Bombs in future proxy wars... :p

Alternatively, if a few nuclear weapons get used in a proxy war, and the GROUP that decided to use them is dealt with SEVERELY, by their own country, the djinn might be put almost back in the bottle. (If MacArthur uses one without authorization, he gets court martialed and shot, semi publicly, for example.)
 
Also how about a use of limited tactical nukes only at sea ?

Soviet whole naval strategy was geared towards use of nukes at sea

e.g a nuclear armed Soviet Kynda class cruiser vs japanease /RN destroyer flotilla set in the 80s ?

My best bet is this, something akin to the movie Bedford Incident, an accidental nuclear exchange, one sided or mutual involving submarine and destroyer, not serious enough to provoke full war, in fact likely delayed or even incomplete information, indeed just an "incident." On land it gets harder, perhaps a minor border incursion that runs afoul a nuclear land mine, something that is not provocative itself with a nuclear weapon.
 
Imperial Iran and Israel were kind of friends, I think. Maybe a slightly wanked United Arab Republic that grows and encompasses Libya, Egypt, Jordan (after a revolution), Syria and Iraq though ? And manages to develop itself enough to be a nuclear threat.

Iran and Israel were pretty close for strategic reasons. Israel got most of its oil from Iran until the Iranian revolution.
 
Alternatively, if a few nuclear weapons get used in a proxy war, and the GROUP that decided to use them is dealt with SEVERELY, by their own country, the djinn might be put almost back in the bottle. (If MacArthur uses one without authorization, he gets court martialed and shot, semi publicly, for example.)
MacArthur didn't have any nuclear weapons so he couldn't use any without authorization. Nine Mark 4 nuclear bombs were deployed to Guam during the Korean War but they were under control of SAC not MacArthur, this decision was made because MacArthur didn't have the technical back ground to decide how to use nuclear weapons and he was not trusted not to use them without orders.
 
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