At some point in time, America will eventually get nuked. Disregarding,
for the moment, the specific type of nuclear device that a terrorist
might use, I'd like to focus on just where such a device might
ignited...
Just
for the sake of argument, let's assume that at some point some
terrorist organization will effectively detonate an existing (i.e.
stolen)1
nuclear device with a nominal yield of 475 kilotons2.
The relevant questions would then center around the devices
geographic location and the elevation above ground level. Let's look
at each...
Geographic
location
When
ever a nuclear device is detonated, large amount of radioactive
nucleotides are generated, primarily from the debris that are sucked
up into the expanding ball of fire. The breakdown or half life of
these particles can be anywhere from seconds to thousands of years
and they can be scattered far down wind of wherever they are
generated. This debris field can stretch for hundreds of miles,
sickening or killing all who come in contact wit it. So, the 'fallout
field' can be of importance to the terrorists as to where they place
the bomb. Some likely locations might be Kansas City, Chicago or
points east as the prevailing wind currents would then affect other
population centers.
Elevation
Critical
to the type of damage a device would do concerns how high up it is. A
low ground burst would max out the damage radius while at the same
time would generate a lot of fallout, while a high latitude burst
would max the EMP effect which could effectively render many
electronic devices inoperative. In either case, many millions of
people would be effectively terrorized and that, after all is the
real intent in the first place!
The
bottom line is that any device, be it crude or sophisticated, would
effectively place a high degree of stress on the psychological
profile and resilience of our nation. Markets would likely crash,
transportation would be disrupted, food networks hurt and it would
take a long long time for things to get back to 'normal. Just look at
what three planes did to America in 2001! They ended up costing the
country close to a trillion dollars and changed the way we do
business and live our lives to this day!
1
–
Most of the literature
I've been able to read indicates that a 'home built' crude nuclear
device would be very problematic to construct.
2
–
The average yield of a single W88 thermonuclear warhead.
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