Nuclear War: Why We Should Be Thinking About It Now

Nuclear War: Why We Should Be Thinking About It Now
Russia's MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jets carrying Kinzhal ("dagger") hypersonic missiles fly over the Red Square during a military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2018. (Yuri Kadobnov/AFP via Getty Images)
Gary Heavin
8/30/2022
Updated:
8/30/2022
0:00
Commentary

Almost all of us living today have become conditioned to believe that nuclear war will not occur due to the concept of mutually assured destruction, or MAD.

MAD, put simply, is the guarantee that one country will not use nuclear weapons against another country due to immediate nuclear retaliation and the destruction of both. Not to mention the nuclear winter that would occur and the annihilation of the human population. But what if MAD is obsolete and is no longer protecting us from nuclear war? I believe that to be true, but what does that mean to you and me?

Reconsideration of the reliability of MAD is particularly important at this moment in time. With the current geopolitical circumstances, we’re at a threat level equal to or greater than the Cuban missile crisis. The two most obvious threats emanate from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s intention to invade Taiwan. The situation is exacerbated by the provocation of the United States and its imperialistic and, frankly, arrogant foreign policy.

How have the factors changed that have made MAD obsolete? First, Russia and China have surpassed the Western world’s nuclear capabilities to such a degree that the United States and its NATO allies are no longer considered equals. With hypersonic missile capabilities that our enemies possess and we do not, we’re no longer able to “mutually assure” their destruction. A missile that can travel at speeds faster than 10,000 miles per hour is unstoppable. Our missile defense system is useless against hypersonic nuclear attack, and we’ve allowed our enemies to advance their missile defense system capabilities to well exceed what we possess.

Second, under the Clinton administration, the “fire on warning” protocol was changed. Prior to 1998, the U.S. nuclear response protocol was to fire on warning. The powers that be realized that it was no longer practical to fire on warning. The response took too long, and it put the world at risk over the likelihood that World War III might begin accidentally due to a false warning, which was occurring with some frequency. With the threat of hypersonic missiles, the fire on warning protocol is simply irrelevant. The time from launch to impact of a hypersonic missile launched from a Russian submarine targeting Washington is less than 30 seconds.

Third, the incompetence of our leadership and ineptitude of our military procurement program have created our extreme vulnerability. Generals who decide which weapon systems are funded leave the military and take high-paying positions with federal defense contractors. They essentially accept bribes from companies in exchange for purchasing their inferior products. The F-35 aircraft is a great example. Add to the broken procurement system the woke culture that’s being propagated and destroying our war-fighting capabilities.

With the Ukrainian debacle, Russia has been provoked to the point that Vladimir Putin has recently placed his nuclear forces on high alert. Putin has stated: “If someone decides to intervene in current events from the outside and creates unacceptable strategic threats for Russia, then they must know that our response, our retaliatory strikes, will be lightning fast, quick. We have the tools for this.”

The United States has been sending ever more threatening weaponry to Ukraine such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, a precision rocket weapon. The Ukrainians have not only begun to fire these weapons at Russian targets, but also have been accused of firing artillery at the largest nuclear energy power plant in all of Europe, located in Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. At what point does Russia act on Putin’s threat and go nuclear?

Russia has now completely allied with China. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan resulted in China instigating war games in the Taiwan Strait, and the political change within China, where power has been taken from the State Council and given to the Central Military Commission, is a clear move to a war footing.

Here’s how I believe this will play out. Without warning, Russia will target U.S. missile silos with hypersonic tactical nuclear weapons. These are low-yield, minimal fallout weapons, which will destroy our ability to significantly retaliate. They will also fire these weapons at our two primary submarine bases, where, at any time, half of our submarine fleet is at dock. This will all happen in just a few minutes. For good measure, Russia, North Korea, or China will fire a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse, or HEMP, weapon. This weapon would destroy the electric grid and leave the United States without power, water, internet, food supply chains, and fuel. Notice that with all these weapons, there’s no significant nuclear fallout, no nuclear winter.

Next, President Joe Biden will get a phone call from Putin, and it will sound like this: “Mister Biden, your nation has just been defeated. I have spared your cities. If you should decide to retaliate with your small remaining nuclear capabilities, within three minutes, New York City and Washington will be reduced to smoldering rubble. I will at this time accept your complete and unconditional surrender.”

For those of us who recognize that our institutions are no longer trustworthy, it’s ever more reasonable that a very dark scenario is playing out before our eyes. The globalist agenda requires that the United States be diminished. Our sovereignty and strength are the only things standing in the way. What better way to diminish the United States than a tactical nuclear attack that destroys our retaliatory capabilities and brings down our electrical grid, resulting in the depopulation of our nation within a year.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Gary Heavin is the founder and former CEO of Curves, the world’s largest fitness franchise. As an international businessman who operated in 92 countries, he has a high level of experience in world affairs. He is a high time Airline Transport rated pilot who has flown his personal jet around the world multiple times and served as a Board Chairman for an Aeronautical company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in health and nutrition and an honorary doctorate and is a two-time N.Y. Times bestselling author.
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