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A comment on Trump says US has bombed Fordo nuclear plant in attack on Iran. Parent comment

Re:Trump says US has bombed Fordo nuclear plant in attack on... by twelve40 on Sunday June 22, 2025 @04:33PM (#44350056)
NK can have a handful of submarine-based missiles that threaten to wipe out say Seoul or LA for example, even after the first strike. It's not a guarantee by any means but it does raise the bar and would probably prevent a situation like the current one.
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Re:Trump says US has bombed Fordo nuclear plant in attack on... by XorNot on Sunday June 22, 2025 @10:15PM (#44351945)
NK kept itself safe for decades with just a lot of artillery aimed at Seoul.

Second strike weapons are in some ways a holdover from Cold War strategic thinking which it's sort of acknowledged probably overestimated the penchant of any side to engage in a first strike.

The practical reality of nuclear war planning has generally been that no one will accept even a single city-buster landing - and no first strike option is really reliable enough to guarantee you didn't miss one.

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