Same here, armchair general, but I have to wonder what would happen if we parked a carrier strike group off Vladivostok. Russia is enormous and can't defend all its cities.

Sure, that'll calm things down. Why don't we just recognize it the Republic of West Alaska while we're at it.

Launching a missile to explode over the ocean to show resolve to use nukes. Next, launching a missile to explode over some Alaskan waste, if the previous step doesn't induce NATO to start the negotiations. Something like that.

That would trigger an overwhelming response.

Nuclear weapons create huge EMP bursts which disrupt communications. One popular type of theoretical first strike is to detonate one or two missiles in the atmosphere to cause confusion, then follow up with the main salvos while peoples' main sensors and communications are blind.

_High-altitude_ explosions create EMP. And nuke yield can be dialed down to Hiroshima levels.

In other words, a madman capable of using Nuclear weapons, will be gentle, sensitive and follow etiquette with his Nuclear actions?

You'd be amazed at how much etiquette there is on nuclear weapons use.

Doing nothing except further sanctions lol

>Playing armchair general here, but I wonder what's the playbook if Russia decides to conduct a nuclear weapon "experiment".

Any launch regardless of trajectory will be considered act of war against the world. There will be no warning shots here.

That's not true.

There are more options available to US than just "fire all the missiles".

>There are more options available to US than just "fire all the missiles".

I mean any launch by Russia will be declaration of war on everyone.

I don't know the effectiveness of stopping these nukes with missile defense. I suspect the USA has multiple plans that they expect to be effective.

"I mean any launch by Russia will be declaration of war on everyone.'

Depends on the target. If its the Ukraine -- maybe not.

Like, if they launch on Ukraine. The nuke will go off on its target. Do you feel like the rest of the world who is anxiously watching what is happening will sit back and do nothing?

There's some game theory here I hope we don't get to test, but you could rationalize why the West wouldn't retaliate with more nuclear bombs despite MAD (or rather because of). For instance, not walking into a nuclear apocalypse.

That is basically what they are doing now, sit back and do nothing.

Just some economics sanctions...

>That is basically what they are doing now, sit back and do nothing.

Ukraine never joined any military alliances. They never took the risk of needing to defend someone else, but in so doing meant they never got us to back them. That was their decision.

>Just some economics sanctions...

You don't end a war by adding to it. These sanctions will destroy the russian people. The russian people are innocent in all of this. If the Russian people do not rise up and overthrow their government. Then the sanctions were not inconveniencing enough for them to do that. Through their actions proving their collaboration.

If we can end this war by sanctions, crushing a nuclear power. The fear of global sanctions will be a message to every single person on Earth that war is no longer possible. We will evolve as the human species to be warless. This will be amazing.

The Russian people have a decision in front of them.

What would you expect the world to realistically do?

If you respond with nukes its nuclear death for everyone.

If you respond with forces it's still prob going to be nuclear death for everyone.

So uh... Yeah?

Very unlikely that they could be intercepted. IIRC those missiles launched from Russia can reach the east coast in an hour.

> Any launch regardless of trajectory

It's doubtful that Americans would choose to turn their cities to glass because Putin launched a single rocket in a non-US trajectory. I just don't see that happening.