NATO's Warplan Against Russia: Go Crazy with Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Should conventional military efforts fail to halt a Russian-lead Warsaw Pact assault, NATO was equipped with an extensive array of tactical nuclear armaments, ranging from nuclear depth charges to gravity bombs, alongside Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles and Pershing II missiles.
If conventional forces failed to stop a Warsaw Pact invasion, NATO had a wide variety of tactical nuclear weapons on hand, from nuclear depth charges to gravity bombs and the Ground-Launched Cruise Missile and Pershing II missiles. While the alliance certainly had enough nuclear weapons to stop a Soviet-led attack, using them would have started a cycle of nuclear retaliation and counter-retaliation difficult to stop. The use of tactical nuclear weapons would likely have begotten the use of strategic nuclear weapons...and the end of human civilization.
About the Author
Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami.
