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Title: Retaliation to a chemical attack in a major regional conflict: Courses of action and consequences. Final report

Abstract

How should the Operational Commander address retaliation to chemical warfare in his deliberate planning process. Joint Doctrine and the Gulf War appear to indicate that nuclear weapons form the basis for an appropriate retaliation course of action. However, Nuclear Posture statements, policy discussions, and military engagement post facto revelations tend to minimize the employment probability of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons do not present viable courses of action around which an executable plan can be built. However, conventional courses of action do, through analysis of chemical weapons, current policy and doctrine, nuclear employment probability, and regional perspectives, conventional courses of action surface as the politically and militarily supportable basis for planning. In addition to being a credible deterrent, employment in a retaliatory mode is not likely to ignite the global political maelstrom incidental to instigating the potential for nuclear war.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Naval War Coll., Newport, RI (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
285139
Report Number(s):
AD-A-307401/0/XAB
TRN: 62250167
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 12 Feb 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
35 ARMS CONTROL; 45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; POLITICAL ASPECTS; CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS

Citation Formats

Crabbe, J A. Retaliation to a chemical attack in a major regional conflict: Courses of action and consequences. Final report. United States: N. p., 1996. Web.
Crabbe, J A. Retaliation to a chemical attack in a major regional conflict: Courses of action and consequences. Final report. United States.
Crabbe, J A. 1996. "Retaliation to a chemical attack in a major regional conflict: Courses of action and consequences. Final report". United States.
@article{osti_285139,
title = {Retaliation to a chemical attack in a major regional conflict: Courses of action and consequences. Final report},
author = {Crabbe, J A},
abstractNote = {How should the Operational Commander address retaliation to chemical warfare in his deliberate planning process. Joint Doctrine and the Gulf War appear to indicate that nuclear weapons form the basis for an appropriate retaliation course of action. However, Nuclear Posture statements, policy discussions, and military engagement post facto revelations tend to minimize the employment probability of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons do not present viable courses of action around which an executable plan can be built. However, conventional courses of action do, through analysis of chemical weapons, current policy and doctrine, nuclear employment probability, and regional perspectives, conventional courses of action surface as the politically and militarily supportable basis for planning. In addition to being a credible deterrent, employment in a retaliatory mode is not likely to ignite the global political maelstrom incidental to instigating the potential for nuclear war.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/285139}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Feb 12 00:00:00 EST 1996},
month = {Mon Feb 12 00:00:00 EST 1996}
}

Technical Report:
Other availability
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