Re:The U.S. military, algorithmic warfare, and big tech
by baybal2 on Monday November 11, 2019 @08:15PM
(#21510620)
> Why disable one critical crew member needed for a submarine's launch, when you can kill him, the entire crew, and everyone in a 10-mile radius with a single nuclear warhead?
Because you don't have enough of them...
You can't win against a nuclear state with 100+ ICBMs unless you strike first, or do a beheading strike.
USSR had really no defensive plan, as was found after the fall. They really bet all on "firing all your guns, before enemy can destroy them"
Why disable one critical crew member needed for a submarine's launch, when you can kill him, the entire crew, and everyone in a 10-mile radius with a single nuclear warhead?
The only thing 'precision' weapons have been found to be any good for is bombing stone-age adversaries, without putting boots on the ground. I see no situation where nuclear superpowers can get into a high-stakes[1] shooting war which will not quickly devolve into a nuclear exchange.
[1] Low-stakes, low-commitment engagements can continue to be performed by finding a stone-age adversary that you can bomb, as a proxy for your enemy. It's great for domestic morale, great for the military-industrial complex, and great for furthering our international ambitions.