Mongolia during a nuclear war?

So, I've been thinking about Mongolia recently and just realized the lack of infromation reguarding the country overall. I was wondering if anyone has any gusses on how the country would fare in a 1980s "Protect and Survivce" type scenerio, did the US have any nuclear weapons targeted at Mongolia? Would Mongolia be overwhelmed by Chinese or Soviet refugees? Could Mongolia remain a stable country if it wasn't hit?
 
Mongolia was the most tightly controlled of all the Soviet satellite states. The Group of Soviet Forces was ready to confront the still ramshackle People's Liberation Army across the border. If the fecal matter hit the propeller and China aligned with the west, Mongolia would be among the first to be destroyed.
 
It wouldn't take much to essentially destroy it as a place of meaningful habitation; IIRC, about half the c. 3 million population lives in the capital of Ulan Baator and there insn't much arable land while much of the rest of the country consists of mountain and desert areas. The next largest city after the capital had around 86000 inhabitants in 2008. Since it was a Soviet ally at the time, one would presume that it would have been targeted by the US/NATO.
 
Why? Were there ANY military targets worth a nuke? I'm doubtful.

I suspect Ulan Bator would be taken out by someone's weapon, just on a general principle. I suppose also the areas bordering with the USSR would suffer a horrible fall out as the US missiles start digging the Soviet fields up. :eek:
 
Why? Were there ANY military targets worth a nuke? I'm doubtful.

Per GlobalSecurity.org, the Soviets had at least two armor and three motorized rifle divisions in Mongolia in the 80s, numbering 75,000 personnel. Whether or not they're worth hitting depends on the scenario.
 
Someone should make a Mad Max-style movie set in Mongolia, just for the novelty. They certainly have more than enough uninhabited areas for the requisite wasteland scenes.:p
 
Why? Were there ANY military targets worth a nuke? I'm doubtful.

With thousands of warheads ready for launch, I'm sure one or ten could be spared for Mongolia. But no, I don't think there was anything actually worth attacking, unless a Soviet Army was in country at the time.
 
Why? Were there ANY military targets worth a nuke? I'm doubtful.

There was a military buildup on both sides of the China-Mongolia border. This was because Deng Xiaoping wished to prove his growing alliance with the west. If China builds up forces on its northern border, the Soviets are forced to move troops away from Europe, alleviating pressure for NATO.

So if TSHTF, the US will take out a Soviet army in Mongolia on China's behalf, lest the other Red Flag fly over Beijing.
 
So if TSHTF, the US will take out a Soviet army in Mongolia on China's behalf, lest the other Red Flag fly over Beijing.

China also has its own nuclear weapons, so even if the US has too many other targets to worry about, the Chinese may hit them themselves.
 
China also has its own nuclear weapons, so even if the US has too many other targets to worry about, the Chinese may hit them themselves.

I'm almost certain the Chinese would be hit in a full scale exchange. Also a Soviet army is a very important target, would would the US "not worry" about it? If you are going full tilt, you would be firing at major military concentrations as well as cities and bases.
 
I'm almost certain the Chinese would be hit in a full scale exchange. Also a Soviet army is a very important target, would would the US "not worry" about it? If you are going full tilt, you would be firing at major military concentrations as well as cities and bases.

Depends on the scenario. From the US perspective, it may make more sense to send a few extra MIRVs at the missile fields than to worry about a couple of divisions half a continent from Europe.
 
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