More Policy Questions
More Policy Questions
In addition to diplomatic and strategic consequences, nuclear winter brought to light other policy issues, including large- and small-scale military concerns. According to J. J. Gertler of the Rand Corporation, sophisticated conventional weapons might become a popular option in times of war. The nuclear winter may also increase the complexity of the military’s Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP), which prioritized nuclear targets. Moreover, the military might think twice about using nuclear weapons for fear that the damage would boomerang on their own country. Two political scientists, Michael Altfeld and Stephen Cimbala, predicted that both the United States and the Soviet Union will adopt smaller and more accurate nuclear warheads. Nuclear winter also might spur the countries to improve their ballistic-missile defense and civil defense.
Keywords: nuclear winter, policy issues, military, Michael Altfeld, Stephen Cimbala, United States, Soviet Union, nuclear warheads, civil defense, Single Integrated Operational Plan
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