Sunday, May 16, 2004
ISRAEL PROPOSES CHANGES TO NUCLEAR DETERRENCE POLICY - SECOND-STRIKE CAPABILITY URGED
An Israeli government report urges regional retaliation in the event of a nuclear or biological WMD attack on Israel by an Arab state or Iran. This would be a posture similar to the " Massive Retaliation " doctrine of John Foster Dulles during the early Cold War. Money quote:
""To meet its ultimate deterrence objectives -- that is, to deter the most overwhelmingly destructive enemy first-strikes -- Israel must seek and achieve a visible second-strike capability to target approximately 15 enemy cities," the report, presented to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said. "Ranges would be to cities in Libya and Iran, and recognizable nuclear bomb yields would be at a level sufficient to fully compromise the aggressor's viability as a functioning state. All enemy targets should be selected with the view that their destruction would promptly force the enemy to cease all nuclear/biological/chemical exchanges with Israel."
Israel does not officially admit to being a nuclear power but mainstream estimates of Israel's nuclear arsenal range from a few dozen warheads ( roughly on par with China's ICBM force) to as much as 200+ nuclear bombs of varied megatonnage (on par or superior to the nuclear strength of the UK or France ) ¶ 7:50 PM
An Israeli government report urges regional retaliation in the event of a nuclear or biological WMD attack on Israel by an Arab state or Iran. This would be a posture similar to the " Massive Retaliation " doctrine of John Foster Dulles during the early Cold War. Money quote:
""To meet its ultimate deterrence objectives -- that is, to deter the most overwhelmingly destructive enemy first-strikes -- Israel must seek and achieve a visible second-strike capability to target approximately 15 enemy cities," the report, presented to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said. "Ranges would be to cities in Libya and Iran, and recognizable nuclear bomb yields would be at a level sufficient to fully compromise the aggressor's viability as a functioning state. All enemy targets should be selected with the view that their destruction would promptly force the enemy to cease all nuclear/biological/chemical exchanges with Israel."
Israel does not officially admit to being a nuclear power but mainstream estimates of Israel's nuclear arsenal range from a few dozen warheads ( roughly on par with China's ICBM force) to as much as 200+ nuclear bombs of varied megatonnage (on par or superior to the nuclear strength of the UK or France ) ¶ 7:50 PM
