Implications of Nuclear Weapons in Total War

摘要

The discussion on total nuclear warfare concludes: '. . . Barring revolutionary and presently unforeseen advances in air defense, an unrestricted strategic air campaign in a war in which the United States is engaged is bound to be decisive. It does not matter greatly whether the number of nuclear weapons-on-target required to guarantee decisiveness is a few score or a few hundred, because we are in realms of figures that are well within the capabilities at least of the United States (the critical factor being, of course, delivery capability rather than size of the nuclear stockpile). And it is equally certain that these figures are now or soon will be within the capabilities of one or more other powers. Figures for a strategic-bombing campaign running into the thousands of bombs-on-target are likely to be either morbidly fanciful or pointed toward a campaign aimed not merely at a simple military decision but at complete national obliteration.'