It seemed to many of us that the Cold War was over long ago. But, judging by recent events, both parties involved in it are not completely satisfied with the current balance of forces and are ready to remind, at least so far in words, that they have not only conventional weapons, but also large stocks of nuclear weapons.
It is said that the once famous physicist and expert in the field of atomic energy, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the head of the Manhattan project, within the framework of which the first samples of nuclear weapons were developed during the Second World War, spoke to members of the American Congress with a story about the production process of this terrible weapon. And one of the listeners asked the question, is there any way to protect yourself from the effects of an atomic bomb?
"Of course," the creator of nuclear weapons replied with confidence. "And what is this remedy?" Dr. Oppenheimer slowly looked around the audience and replied with dignity: "Peace."
This conversation took place more than half a century ago. Now at least seven powers have nuclear weapons. Of course, Russia and the United States have the largest nuclear arsenals. Each of these countries has land-based, sea-based and air-based nuclear weapons. Americans traditionally rely on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, while the basis of Russia's nuclear triad is mobile and mine—based complexes.
Nuclear weapons have always been considered a means of deterrence rather than war. But, since it represents a terrible threat, incomparable with conventional weapons, very large funds have always been invested in missile defense. A full-scale nuclear conflict is almost guaranteed to "bomb" the planet into the Stone Age. And how effective can missile defense be in general in the event of a limited conflict? A video on the Naked Science channel will tell you about this.
Video: Naked Science Youtube Channel
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