U.S. speeds up plans to store upgraded nukes in Europe

1 comment
  1. Remember that stationing US nukes in Europe has two effects: 1) Russia shortens its decision window for launches from its west approaches but the decision window for launches from continental US remain longer. 2) If there’s a fuck-up and Russia launches because it lacks sufficient verification time, Western Europe burns while Russia takes its time to verify if there’s a second salvo coming from continental US and sea launches.

    This was the reason for the Cuba Missile Crisis: The US stationed Jupiter ballistic missiles in Turkey, which forced Russia to narrow its launch verification window. In response, Russia stationed weapons in Cuba, forcing the US to narrow its decision window – essentially saying to the US “So, how do you like it?” As part of the settlement of the crisis, the US agreed to remove the Jupiters and Russia agreed to remove the R12s.

Leave a Reply