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FACTS ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS |
Deterrence is the rationale used by the nuclear weapons states to justify their weapons. The argument says that if a nation has capability to inflict unacceptable damage on another, then the latter will refrain from attacking the former--it will be deterred from doing so. The proponents of deterrence claim that it is responsible for the fact that there has been no war between the nuclear weapons states so far.
Given the nature of strategic nuclear weapons, deterrence relies on holding the civilian population hostage. Any peace brought about by it is like the peace that exists between two persons who are holding guns to each other's heads with their fingers on the triggers: an uneasy, tense peace which is fraught with danger. So the fact that no nuclear war has occurred in the last fifty years is no guarantee that it will not occur in the next fifty or hundred years despite deterrence.
Since a nuclear weapon can destroy a city within minutes of its being launched, it is necessary for a nuclear weapons state (at least one believing in nuclear deterrence) to clearly declare the circumstances under which it will use its weapons and the manner in which it will do so. This is its nuclear doctrine. The doctrine specifies if the state retains the option of initiating a nuclear attack (first use) or if it will use its weapons only in retaliation of a nuclear attack (no first use). The state also specifies the extent of use it will make of its nuclear weapons in different situations.
If a nation is subjected to a nuclear attack, it is presumed that the initial targets would be its own nuclear weapons facilities. A second strike capability means that the nation should have enough weapons and have them deployed in a manner that enough of them survive the initial attack and can be used for a retaliatory attack.
Thus the weapons that make up the second strike capability could be missiles that are launched from mobile launchers that are constantly on the move. Or they could be missiles launched from nuclear submarines which can stay submerged for long periods of time and are therefore difficult to locate and destroy.
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