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To: Jeff Chandler

“The U.S.’s ground-based tactical nuclear capability was retired in the early ‘90s following the collapse of the Soviet Union”

The reason we gave up tactical nukes is because we never found a case where they would be useful.

Enemy forces are unlikely to be cooperative and stand all in one place for long enough and far enough away from any of your own forces for such a weapon to make sense.


3 posted on 10/12/2022 3:19:22 PM PDT by Renfrew
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To: Renfrew

They would have come in handy in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan


8 posted on 10/12/2022 3:24:36 PM PDT by shotgun
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To: Renfrew

You are ignorant of the subject.


10 posted on 10/12/2022 3:28:48 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Renfrew

Tactical nukes were intended for use in Europe. Cold War strategy envisioned the possibility of massed Soviet divisions advancing westward from Eastern European staging areas. And the possible intensive use of CBR weaponry. The response to such potential threats was tactical nuclear weapons targeting Soviet forces and C&C targets well behind enemy lines. With the demise of the Soviet ground threat then yes the need for tactical nukes diminished.

Do not assume that we did not have an established doctrine for the use of tactical. We did. It included the above.


25 posted on 10/12/2022 5:40:21 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative.)
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