Blueprint for radical weapons cuts
Deterrence has prevented the use of nuclear weapons so far, and this will continue to be necessary until someone identifies a path to the elimination of these weapons and persuades the nuclear powers to take that path. Mr. Garvin feels there is, however, an interim goal: to replace the 50,000 existing nuclear weapons with 1000 long-range, strategic weapons in the US armory, a similar number for the Soviet Union, and perhaps 200 each for Great Britain, France, and China. An appropriate plan for US weapons he notes, would be to base 400 warheads in the form of single-warhead small ICBMs in soft (vulnerable) silos; 400 warheads divided among 50 small submarines, each carrying eight small single-warhead SLBMs; and 200 warheads carried on 100 aircraft as air-launched cruise missiles, two per aircraft. Each warhead, including the reentry vehicles for a strategic ballistic missile, could weigh no more than 300 kilograms; the warhead maximum yield would be held by the weight limit to about half a megaton. Any lower yield would be permitted, including the impossibility of variable-yield weapons, such as exist at least in the US inventory. The reduction of British, French, and Chinese weapons - to judge by the announced plans of the first two nations - is clearly necessary if the superpowers are to undertake the proposed 95% reductions. 2 references
- Research Organization:
- IBM, Yorktown Heights, NY (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6776144
- Journal Information:
- Bull. At. Sci.; (United States), Vol. 44:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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