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Second strike

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385:, the wrong country could be targeted, and can cause a conflict to escalate. However, implementation of second strikes is crucial to deter a first strike. Countries with nuclear weapons make it their primary purpose to convince their opponents that a first strike is not worth facing a second strike. Such countries have many diverse launch mechanisms, prepared responses to various nuclear attack scenarios, launch mechanisms in many different areas of the country, and underground launch facilities that are specifically designed to withstand a nuclear attack. 31: 346: 436: 403:. In addition to the nuclear triad, nations deploy an early warning system that detects incoming nuclear missiles. This gives that nation the capability and option to launch a retaliatory second strike before the incoming nuclear first strike hits any of its targets. This is another method of solidifying second-strike capabilities and deterring a first strike from another nuclear power. 336:
mechanisms. These mechanisms create a threshold and guaranteed consequences if that threshold is breached. For instance, a threshold may be for an allied nation not to be attacked. If a rival nation then breaches this threshold by attacking the allied nation, then the predetermined consequences for
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Perimetr PTS dates back to 1974, in response to Soviet fears of devastating nuclear strikes from US ballistic missile submarines. It became operational in January 1985, with SS-17 launch silos in Vypolzovo (Yedrovo) and Kostroma, each 100 and 150 miles north-west of Moscow respectively. The system
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was built with multiple layers of redundancy, in case multiple layers of communications were destroyed in the initial strike. Launch authorization would be transmitted by UHF radio, by transmitters buried deep underground. Development continued over the years with the system incorporating the new
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The crucial goal in maintaining second-strike capabilities is preventing first-strike attacks from taking out a nation's nuclear arsenal. In this manner, a country can carry out nuclear retaliation even after absorbing a nuclear attack. The United States and other countries have diversified their
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Despite the automated launch capabilities, Russian nuclear command and control could order missiles to self-destruct mid-flight in the event of an accidental launch. Russian ballistic missile submarines were reportedly never incorporated into Perimetr-PTS, given the inherent communication issues
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Secondly, the General Staff would have had to escalate the threat level sufficiently high so that a preauthorisation for launch had already been attained prior to loss of communications. If this had not been received, it was up to the missile operators within the silos to abort the automated
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are the traditional, but very expensive, method of providing a second strike capability, though they need to be supported by a reliable method of identifying who the attacker is. Using SLBMs as a second-strike capability has a serious problem, because in retaliation for a submarine-launched
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Third, the collective input of data from a variety of sensors fed into a central server. This included ground and infrared sensors designed to detect explosions around early-warning radar stations, command posts, and silos; missile signatures from radar stations, and data from the Oko
499:-PTS, otherwise known as "ะผั‘ั€ั‚ะฒะฐั ั€ัƒะบะฐ" (the Dead Hand) within Russia, is a Russian nuclear deterrence developed to automatically launch ballistic missiles as a retaliatory attack in the event that the Russian command and control system is destroyed in a surprise 296:
is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker. To have such an ability (and to convince an opponent of its viability) is considered vital in
579:. In one episode, the US cabinet discusses the scenario of a Soviet surprise attack in which American cities would be destroyed, but the US armed forces would survive and launch a counter-attack. 526:
communications system must be interrupted. The simultaneous loss of both systems would indicate that the national command post has been destroyed and the political leadership killed.
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system. Perimetr-PTS was deliberately designed not to launch in the event of a smaller strike from US allies or an Asian nuclear power, given their inability to wage '
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this action go into effect. These predetermined consequences could include a wide range of responses, including a retaliatory nuclear second strike.
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Russian leadership was concerned that the system could trigger an accidental launch, so they incorporated numerous safeguards into its design.
169: 230: 219: 542:'. It was also designed to discount the possibility of an earthquake or natural disaster, by referencing data from seismograph stations. 240: 271: 598: 214: 414:(and especially submarine-launched ballistic missiles), second strike was initially only possible against very large, undefended 184: 174: 200: 189: 179: 377: 104: 153: 411: 716: 637: 483: 465: 461: 457: 264: 82: 363: 245: 603: 322: 306: 205: 50: 317:
The possession of second-strike capabilities counters a first-strike nuclear threat and can support a
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targets like cities. Later-generation missiles with much improved accuracy made second-strike
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is a strategy of nuclear weapon retaliation that gained recognition during the
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nuclear strategy. Reciprocal second-strike capabilities usually cause a
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Second-strike capabilities can be further strengthened by implementing
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attacks against the opponent's hardened military facilities possible.
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nuclear command link to Russian leadership and the secure
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ICBMs in December 1990, and further refinements in 1996.
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defence strategy, though one side may have a lower level
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in which he described a nuclear arms race between the
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in order to better ensure second-strike capability.
728: 666:"False Alarms in the Nuclear Age โ€” NOVA | PBS" 265: 464:. Unsourced material may be challenged and 309:against its opponent's own nuclear forces. 16:Response to a powerful first nuclear strike 697:Nuclear weapons: a very short introduction 272: 258: 29: 555:As early as 1940, science fiction writer 484:Learn how and when to remove this message 694: 652: 599:1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident 344: 632:(first ed.). Osprey. p. 240. 729: 709:10.1093/actrade/9780199229543.001.0001 627: 378:Submarine-launched ballistic missiles 462:adding citations to reliable sources 429: 412:intercontinental ballistic missiles 13: 14: 748: 340: 434: 695:Siracusa, Joseph (March 2008). 425: 687: 658: 646: 621: 1: 609: 406:Because of the low accuracy ( 370:nuclear arsenals through the 614: 7: 582: 364:ballistic missile submarine 10: 753: 604:Mutual assured destruction 550: 323:mutual assured destruction 312: 630:A Dictionary of Aviation 628:Wragg, David W. (1973). 294:second-strike capability 701:Oxford University Press 568:Solution Unsatisfactory 536:early warning satellite 408:circular error probable 410:) of early-generation 366: 348: 518:Initially, both the 458:improve this section 154:Nuclear-armed states 547:which could ensue. 501:decapitation strike 589:Minimal deterrence 557:Robert A. Heinlein 367: 351:Trident II missile 327:minimal deterrence 299:nuclear deterrence 290:retaliatory strike 672:. 6 November 2001 494: 493: 486: 389:Launch on warning 282: 281: 46:Nuclear explosion 744: 737:Nuclear strategy 722: 699:(1st ed.). 681: 680: 678: 677: 662: 656: 650: 644: 643: 625: 489: 482: 478: 475: 469: 438: 430: 353:launched from a 286:nuclear strategy 274: 267: 260: 211: 105:Target selection 33: 19: 18: 752: 751: 747: 746: 745: 743: 742: 741: 727: 726: 725: 719: 690: 685: 684: 675: 673: 664: 663: 659: 651: 647: 640: 626: 622: 617: 612: 594:Doomsday device 585: 561:science fiction 553: 509:RT-2PM2 Topol-M 490: 479: 473: 470: 455: 439: 428: 343: 315: 305:in one massive 278: 229: 209: 199: 168: 23:Nuclear weapons 17: 12: 11: 5: 750: 740: 739: 724: 723: 717: 691: 689: 686: 683: 682: 657: 645: 638: 619: 618: 616: 613: 611: 608: 607: 606: 601: 596: 591: 584: 581: 552: 549: 544: 543: 531: 527: 492: 491: 442: 440: 433: 427: 424: 342: 341:Implementation 339: 314: 311: 280: 279: 277: 276: 269: 262: 254: 251: 250: 249: 248: 243: 238: 233: 223: 222: 217: 212: 203: 193: 192: 187: 182: 180:United Kingdom 177: 172: 157: 156: 150: 149: 148: 147: 142: 137: 132: 127: 122: 117: 112: 107: 102: 96: 95: 90: 85: 79: 78: 73: 68: 63: 58: 53: 48: 40: 39: 35: 34: 26: 25: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 749: 738: 735: 734: 732: 720: 718:9780199229543 714: 710: 706: 702: 698: 693: 692: 671: 667: 661: 654: 653:Siracusa 2008 649: 641: 639:9780850451634 635: 631: 624: 620: 605: 602: 600: 597: 595: 592: 590: 587: 586: 580: 578: 574: 573:United States 570: 569: 565: 562: 558: 548: 541: 537: 532: 528: 525: 521: 517: 516: 515: 512: 510: 504: 502: 498: 488: 485: 477: 467: 463: 459: 453: 452: 448: 443:This section 441: 437: 432: 431: 423: 421: 417: 413: 409: 404: 402: 398: 394: 390: 386: 384: 379: 375: 373: 372:nuclear triad 365: 362: 360: 356: 352: 347: 338: 335: 330: 328: 324: 320: 310: 308: 304: 300: 295: 291: 287: 275: 270: 268: 263: 261: 256: 255: 253: 252: 247: 244: 242: 239: 237: 234: 232: 228: 225: 224: 221: 218: 216: 213: 207: 204: 202: 198: 195: 194: 191: 188: 186: 183: 181: 178: 176: 173: 171: 170:United States 167: 165: 161: 160: 159: 158: 155: 152: 151: 146: 143: 141: 138: 136: 133: 131: 128: 126: 125:Proliferation 123: 121: 118: 116: 113: 111: 108: 106: 103: 101: 98: 97: 94: 91: 89: 86: 84: 81: 80: 77: 74: 72: 69: 67: 64: 62: 59: 57: 54: 52: 49: 47: 44: 43: 42: 41: 37: 36: 32: 28: 27: 24: 21: 20: 696: 674:. 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Index

Nuclear weapons
Photograph of a mock-up of the Little Boy nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.
Nuclear explosion
History
Warfare
Design
Testing
Delivery
Yield
Effects
Workers
Ethics
Arsenals
Target selection
Arms race
Blackmail
Espionage
Proliferation
Disarmament
Terrorism
Opposition
Winter
Nuclear-armed states
NPT
United States
Russia
United Kingdom
France
China
India

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