Oct 12 (Portal) – From the war in Ukraine to North Korea’s latest series of missile tests, tactical nuclear weapons are being discussed and developed in a way not seen since the Cold War.
There is no universally accepted definition of such weapons, and analysts note that using any type of nuclear device would break the “nuclear taboo” that has existed since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, the only time it were used war.
Here are the characteristics of tactical nuclear weapons and why they’ve attracted so much attention.
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WHAT IS A TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPON?
Tactical nuclear weapons are often characterized by their size, their range, or their use for limited military objectives.
They are often referred to as “non-strategic weapons,” as opposed to strategic weapons, which the U.S. military defines as aimed at “delivering on the enemy’s martial ability and will to make war,” including manufacturing , infrastructure, transport and communication systems. and other goals.
In contrast, tactical weapons are designed to achieve more limited and immediate military objectives that are winning a battle.
The term is often used to describe weapons with a lower “yield” or the amount of energy released in an explosion.
They are usually several times larger than conventional bombs, cause radioactive fallout and other deadly effects in addition to the explosion itself, and there is no agreed size that defines tactical weapons.
Tactical weapons are often mounted as missiles, air-dropped bombs, or even artillery shells that have a relatively short range, far less than the giant ICBMs that are designed to travel thousands of kilometers and hit targets across oceans .
However, many of these delivery systems can also deliver strategic nuclear weapons.
WHO HAS YOU?
Many of the world’s nuclear powers have weapons that are considered low-yield or intended for use on the battlefield.
According to a March report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), the United States has about 230 non-strategic nuclear weapons, including about 100 B61 bombs deployed with aircraft in Europe.
In 2018, the Trump administration announced plans for a new low-yield warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and a new nuclear-tipped non-strategic cruise missile.
Russia has 1,000 to 2,000 warheads for non-strategic nuclear weapons in its arsenal, the CRS report said.
North Korea said this week that its recent spate of missile tests aimed at showering the south with tactical nuclear weapons.
Experts believe North Korea’s resumption of nuclear tests could involve the development of smaller warheads for use on the battlefield.
ARE THEY USED?
President Vladimir Putin, who rules the world’s largest nuclear power, has repeatedly warned the West that any attack on Russia could provoke a nuclear response.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he doubted Putin would use a nuclear weapon, and analysts said tactical weapons may have limited military use on Ukraine’s vast and scattered battlefields.
Earlier, Biden noted that the use of even small nuclear weapons could spiral out of control.
“I don’t think there is such a thing as the ability to just (deploy) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up in Armageddon,” he said last week.
North Korea’s pursuit of the weapons, meanwhile, could represent a dangerous shift in how North Korea uses and plans to use nuclear weapons, analysts say.
It has also sparked renewed debate in South Korea about relocating American tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn from the peninsula in the 1990s, or pursuing its own nuclear program.
North Korea says its nuclear weapons are for self-defense.
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Reporting by Josh Smith. Editing by Gerry Doyle
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