I spent 22 years in the US Air Force learning not only war fighting doctrine, but nuclear war fighting doctrine, which included not only fighting a nuclear war, but surviving and winning one. Perhaps this sounds to some like madness, but yes indeed, while we publicly said no one could win a nuclear war, and this became the media view of our times told to the people, but during all of that talk we prepared exactly for nuclear war, and still do. Over those years I was assigned to NORAD, SAC, DIA and the Air Force Intelligence Command.
Like you, therefore, I have my own unique expertise, and am not just spouting off. I know, for example, the methods and means by which we can detect, much earlier than most think, nuclear missile activity, as well as counter measures and the most valuable targets selection. You should note that these are not what you think, but are designed to take out the leadership, as we assume they don’t care about casualties in the same way we do. We also have let them know, we know where they go to hide—they cannot mask this enough, as ELINT and hurried movement of assets visible by satellite and other means always give them away.
Do you not wonder what the successor to the SR-71’s most important missions these days are?
The Russians have slightly more nuclear weapons than us. The Chinese have much, much less. In any case, these raw numbers are mostly worthless because if the weapon is not on a deliverable platform when the balloon goes up, it probably never will be mounted for later.
Reagan told Gorbachev in no uncertain terms that while he and his generals might go underground to escape the glassing of Moscow, they would die in their holes, unable to get themselves out when every entrance/exit was obliterated.
Also, and I think since we’ve seen the Russian military corruption in real time in this war, I’m not at all sure the Russian platforms are as viable as they think, as nuclear war isn’t something done every day, and maintaining such weapons are hella expensive, and that money probably got siphoned into other “purposes”. Not only are we in parity in delivery systems, but our position in stealth technology means they won’t be able to stop our bombers, and certain other aircraft the general public has no knowledge of.
That hyper-focus hasn’t changed since I retired, and still goes on to this day. Our technology has really leaped ahead of them and especially since the fall of the Soviets.
Simply put, they haven’t had the money to continue even the Soviet brute force abilities/strategy, which continues to be the doctrine they still teach themselves when war gaming against us.
BTW, I was 4 years old in 1962. I lived thru the Cuba crisis, but don’t remember it beyond history.
This is actually an error on my part.
I shouldn't have used the word bombers, because this implies a certain subset of aircraft we have.
I should have said "airborne assets", which include a wide range of flying platforms/vessels.
I would like to think that our intelligence community knows what is going on, but they have had a checkered record based on my own firsthand knowledge. We have become too reliant on SIGINT.
During my 8 years in the USN as a Supply Officer, my only real experience with nuclear weapons was attendance at a week long school on the storage of nuclear weapons on ships. I have seen life sized replicas of Fat Man and Little Boy. I also visited the ground zero museum in Nagasaki. It is difficult to comprehend the devastation these weapons can cause. The ones we have now dwarf those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In 1999 I was the only civilian in the Capstone Program for newly frocked admirals and generals. We visited all the major military commands in the US including SAC, NORAD, and Space Command. We toured and got briefed inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex. Also, I was able to get in the well of a tanker while we fueled a B-2 Stealth bomber. Awesome sight.
Do you not wonder what the successor to the SR-71’s most important missions these days are?
We have satellites that we can move around over targets that can do much of the same work.
That hyper-focus hasn’t changed since I retired, and still goes on to this day. Our technology has really leaped ahead of them and especially since the fall of the Soviets.
I hope and pray that is true, but the Russians only need a small percentage of their missiles to get thru to put a serious hurt on this country. EMP strikes can also be devastating along with cyber-warfare attacks.
BTW, I was 4 years old in 1962. I lived thru the Cuba crisis, but don’t remember it beyond history.
LOL. I was 19. You missed the "get under your desk" drills in elementary school and the fallout shelter craze. My generation was far more concerned about nuclear weapons and the devastation they could cause. In some respects, that is a good thing. I worry that our current leaders lack the comprehension and fear of such civilization ending weaponry. No winners.