How far off the US Coast for a Russian sub to achive totoal surprise?

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by miker42

1. By today's standards, how close the US coast would a Russian Sub driver try to get to launch nukes and achive maximum surprise with as little reaction time as possible from the US. In other words, total surprise.

That's beyond my area of knowledge, sorry.

Originally Posted by miker42

2. How would the US react and deal with such a threat?

Mutually Assured Destruction. I'm sure you've heard of the term - Nuke goes off from one side, all the nukes from the other sides go off. There have been talk of a measured nuclear response, but that's not likely if the russians are involved.

That's why in every worldwide conflict story that happens in the modern time, there's a reason why nobody shoots off a single nuke. See Red Storm Rising.

Originally Posted by miker42

3. What kinds of systems does the US have in place to fight off such an attack?

At present time, a bunch of missiles to be shot back at whoever started it. There isn't, at this time, a functionning ABM system. That we know off, anyway.

Originally Posted by miker42

4. How would it be dealt with if the US had, say 30-60 minutes before any kind of MIRV seperation or impact?

Once they'd know for sure who shot the missile, they'd shoot back. And everybody'd hide.

Duck and cover, like the turtle said.

[miker42]

What about Conventional Warheads then? Same Scenario, less damage?

[Etienne]

Why put a conventionnal warhead in an ICBM?

When someone sees an ICBM launch, they'll assume nuclear until proven otherwise.

[Camaero]

This thread makes me want to watch "A Boy and His Dog".

[miker42]

Now that I think about it, I guess the point really is to use that kind of threat as a deterrent more than anything else. It's what we do with our boomers on patrol. Peace through superior firepower, I suppose.

[Etienne]

Exactly. That's where the concept of MAD came from : You can destroy me, but if you do, I'll destroy you as well... And that makes the whole ordeal pointless.

It's a political game altogether. There's no tactics to it at all; until the order to fire is given... And then, the tactics only last for an hour at most. After that, well, it's a worldwide disaster.

[fatty]

Originally Posted by miker42

Now that I think about it, I guess the point really is to use that kind of threat as a deterrent more than anything else. It's what we do with our boomers on patrol. Peace through superior firepower, I suppose.

Not even superior firepower but equal. No nukes have been used in anger since 1945 because of NATO-Soviet nuclear parity - the system that if either side launched on the other, retaliation (or "second strike") was guaranteed and both sides would be obliterated.

Historically, you run into problems when the scales start to tip to give the advantage to one side or the other. The Cuban Missile Crisis put nuclear forces uncomfortably close to American soil and heightened the potential of a "decapitating" strike on U.S. command structure with negligible warning, providing a threat comparable to the U.S. missiles in Turkey. That's part of the debate against anti-ballistic missile systems; the dissuasion to avoid using nuclear weapons shrinks if you become impervious to counter-strikes, and your opponent has less incentive to hold anything back because he wants to overwhelm your ABM system. It tips the scales and makes people sweat.

Boomers exist[ed] to eliminate the chance of a decapitation strike because while the enemy may easily locate and then attack and destroy your nuclear assets on land, he can never be 100% sure in practice where your nuclear assets at sea are located.

[geetrue]

US submarines can fire from refit docks if they had to ... the Russians report to have such a good range that the melting of the ice caps are revealing their hiding places via satellite (just guessing on that one).

Sure the Russians have the edge with range, but do they have ice cream, pop corn, Clint Eastwood, Star Trek, and "R" rated movies on board? Casino night, half way day, cable grams from home, Xbox 360 games make USN submarines a better place to live for (90) days.

Not to mention a supply corps that has and will continue to keep US Naval forces the leader in ship maintence no matter where they may hover.
Yes, folks the boomer I was on didn't steam we just hovered around the same area all day staying out of the shipping lanes.