Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack | 120 comments (120 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (4.00 / 4)

What makes you think the US is even remotely capable of pulling off such a stunt? We are talking about people that screwed up such relatively simple operations as rescuing hostages from Tehran. About people that got themselves famously shot up in Somalia. And those were the elite units of the military.

There is no way such a thing is going to work.

by wing26 on Thu Dec 27th, 2007 at 09:30:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (none / 1)

Well, I think they could only hope to do it with help from the inside. Which when it comes to Pakistan is not beyond the realm of the possible. Whether they would still manage to screw it up is another question entirely...

by Trond Ove on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 09:06:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (4.00 / 2)

If they managed to get the intel on the location and security of all the missiles, presumably they can plan an operation to take them out.

The problem is that even if you assume, say, a 95% chance of success for each individual mission, the odds of not being able to do everything are quite large. Not to speak of the political consequences of even attempting to do something like this, whether they succeed or not.

How many warheads does Pakistan have? How many missiles? How many silos? How many different locations?

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 09:24:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (none / 0)

A few dozen to a few hundred warheads. Likely and probably not more than 300.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 09:35:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (none / 1)

Does that mean 300 missiles or, using MIRVs, maybe as little as 50 missiles?

We're talking about a massive operation to take them all out in any case.

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 09:41:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (4.00 / 3)

I would stick to the few dozens. And no silos, only a handful of truck-towed crappy med-range missiles, single headed, which they don't even trust to take off. They would rely on dropped bombs (from F16), that's what they will have in higher numbers, but I doubt it gets to a hundred.

Pierre

by Pierre on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 09:54:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Regarding "Securing" the nukes (none / 1)

According to Wikipedia (itself based on the bulletin of Atomic scientists 2001) Pakistan has 30-80 warheads.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri Dec 28th, 2007 at 10:29:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Benazir Bhutto killed in suicide attack | 120 comments (120 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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