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Why would counterforce attacks near military bases still endanger civilians?
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nuclear strategy
The explosion from the first thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb), code-named Mike, which was detonated at Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands, November 1, 1952. The photograph was taken at an altitude of 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) 80 km (50 miles) from the detonation site.
Even when counterforce doctrine is employed to target military infrastructure rather than civilian populations, such attacks inevitably endanger civilians due to the inherent physical effects of nuclear weapons.
The primary reasons for this danger include:
- Proximity: Many military bases and missile installations are located in close proximity to cities. Because nuclear weapons release vast amounts of explosive energy in the form of air blasts and thermal radiation, a strike on a nearby military target would likely cause catastrophic collateral damage to surrounding civilian areas.12
- Radioactive Fallout: Detonations on or near the surface suck soil and debris into the atmosphere, creating fallout. This radioactive material can contaminate large areas, posing an immediate and extreme biological hazard to any civilian populations downwind of the target.13
- Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP): A nuclear explosion generates an electromagnetic pulse capable of damaging electronic equipment—such as communication systems, power grids, and medical infrastructure—at distances ranging from tens to thousands of kilometers. This widespread disruption of essential services would severely threaten civilian safety and health, regardless of the specific target.4
It is a fundamental ethical imperative to recognize that the destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be surgically contained, making the protection of civilian life impossible in the event of their use.