North Korea has ratified a nuclear retaliation

[gingerjedi]

I don't see how one country should be able to say to another that they can't have nukes when they have them. By stopping countries from developing nuclear weapons, it forces it underground. IMO, it would be better to allow them to develop nuclear weapons providing it was adequately policed.

My understanding is the countries that have them now all agree they were probably a bad idea in the first place and it might be wise to get rid of them.

The trouble is they don't want to give up nukes whilst rogue countries are still trying to acquire them, if we could all get to a situation where no new nukes are being developed we could all move forward and drop the whole silly idea of wiping each other out with the press of a button.

[Ketchup]

My understanding is the countries that have them now all agree they were probably a bad idea in the first place and it might be wise to get rid of them.

The trouble is they don't want to give up nukes whilst rogue countries are still trying to acquire them, if we could all get to a situation where no new nukes are being developed we could all move forward and drop the whole silly idea of wiping each other out with the press of a button.

But even then every country would be suspicous of each other hiding one or two, which Russia, China and the US would all do.

The more the US forces it's military dominance on smaller countries, the more it will be resented by the rest of the world.

[Pondlife]

So, Russia is now saying that Naughty Korea's behaviour is unacceptable. I can't see China enjoying the US/Japan/Russian bonding session, nor the fact that the US has a perfect excuse to move all sorts of anti nuke tech into the region.

[gingerjedi]

But even then every country would be suspicous of each other hiding one or two, which Russia, China and the US would all do.

The more the US forces it's military dominance on smaller countries, the more it will be resented by the rest of the world.

Yep despite them all agreeing it was a bad idea that is the problem.

All they can do is reduce the warhead count bit by bit and hope there is a golden age of peace where they all trust each other to do the right thing, it's never going to happen though.

[VectraMan]

The trouble is they don't want to give up nukes whilst rogue countries are still trying to acquire them, if we could all get to a situation where no new nukes are being developed we could all move forward and drop the whole silly idea of wiping each other out with the press of a button.

It's a bit out of proportion. It was in the news today, Cameron defending the £20bn on trident because of the threat from North Korea and Iran. But surely at worst NK and Iran have a very small number of nuclear weapon, so as long as the rest of the world has a few more the whole MAD logic holds up. And Trident is a round the clock submarine defence - i.e. designed for a surprise attack from a major nuclear power like the USSR; not really very realistic.

[Troll]

Looks like General Douglas MacArthur had the right idea in the '50's

[Paddy]

It's a bit out of proportion. It was in the news today, Cameron defending the £20bn on trident because of the threat from North Korea and Iran. But surely at worst NK and Iran have a very small number of nuclear weapon, so as long as the rest of the world has a few more the whole MAD logic holds up. And Trident is a round the clock submarine defence - i.e. designed for a surprise attack from a major nuclear power like the USSR; not really very realistic.

Nor is it independent. Trident cannot be launched without the express permission of the US who also hold the launch codes.

[Troll]

Love this sea based X band radar station being moved into position

[Troll]

Nor is it independent. Trident cannot be launched without the express permission of the US who also hold the launch codes.

You have a link for that?

Command and control
The Prime Minister's command bunker is located beneath the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, London

Only the Prime Minister or a designated survivor can order the missiles to be fired. These orders would likely be issued from the Pindar command bunker under Whitehall in central London. From there the order would be relayed to the CTF 345 operations room at the Northwood Headquarters facility in Hertfordshire, the only facility allowed to communicate with the Vanguard commander on patrol.

Two personnel are required to authenticate each stage of the process before launching, with the submarine commander only able to activate the firing trigger after two safes have been opened with keys held by the ship's executive and weapons engineering officers.

At the end of the Cold War, the US Navy installed devices to prevent rogue commanders persuading their crews to launch unauthorised nuclear attacks. These devices prevent an attack until a launch code had been sent by the Chiefs of Staff on behalf of the President. The UK took a decision not to install equivalent devices onto Vanguard on the grounds that an aggressor might be able to eliminate the British chain of command before a launch order had been sent

[OwlHoot]

This is the place for a review of the attack sequence in "Threads", the 1984 nuclear war film.
It covers the EMP damage caused by the first soviet nuclear weapon exploded high over the north sea, whose EMP pulse wipes out the electrical infrastructure of the whole of the UK.
It is rather disturbing, even today..

Good find, but it wouldn't just be the UK. It would be everywhere in a roughly 1000 mile radius of the North Sea, which covers most of Europe and possibly as far as Western Russia (*)

(*) edit: Well perhaps not Russia, if it was the Russkies who set it off in that film!