Potential targets of a nuclear assault might embody a spread of vital infrastructure and inhabitants facilities. These would possibly embrace army installations like missile silos and command facilities, main cities, vital industrial hubs, and key transportation networks. A hypothetical instance might be a significant port metropolis with substantial shipbuilding capability and close by air pressure bases.
Understanding the potential influence of such assaults is essential for emergency preparedness and nationwide safety planning. Analyzing potential targets permits for the event of efficient defensive methods, useful resource allocation for civil protection, and informs public security protocols. Traditionally, the event and refinement of nuclear focusing on doctrines through the Chilly Battle considerably influenced geopolitical technique and arms management negotiations. The idea continues to be related in trendy geopolitical evaluation and threat evaluation.
This matter naturally results in discussions about nuclear deterrence methods, the evolving nature of contemporary warfare, and the continuing significance of worldwide diplomacy and arms management treaties.
1. Strategic Significance
Strategic significance, within the context of potential nuclear targets, refers back to the worth a location holds when it comes to army, financial, political, or psychological influence. Focusing on areas of excessive strategic significance goals to cripple an adversary’s capability to wage battle, disrupt its financial system, or diminish its political affect.
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Army Capabilities
Places housing vital army property, akin to nuclear weapon storage services, command and management facilities, and main army bases, are prime targets. Neutralizing these areas might considerably degrade an adversary’s capability to mission pressure and reply to an assault. For instance, destroying an ICBM silo removes a direct risk and weakens retaliatory capabilities.
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Financial Facilities
Focusing on main monetary hubs, industrial manufacturing facilities, and significant infrastructure like energy grids and transportation networks goals to disrupt financial exercise and weaken the adversary’s battle effort. Placing a significant port, such because the Port of Lengthy Seashore, might cripple provide chains and severely influence nationwide and worldwide commerce.
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Political Management
Focusing on capital cities or areas the place key authorities officers reside goals to decapitate the adversary’s political construction, create chaos, and doubtlessly hasten the tip of a battle. The symbolic worth of such targets can even have vital psychological repercussions.
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Psychological Impression
Focusing on areas with excessive cultural or historic significance can have a profound psychological influence on the adversary’s inhabitants, doubtlessly undermining morale and eroding public help for the battle effort. This might embrace culturally vital monuments or densely populated city areas.
The strategic significance of a possible goal is a fancy calculation involving quite a few elements. Understanding these elements offers perception into the logic behind nuclear focusing on methods and the potential penalties of such assaults. This, in flip, highlights the significance of strategic protection initiatives, diplomacy, and arms management agreements in mitigating these dangers.
2. Inhabitants Density
Inhabitants density performs a big position in nuclear focusing on concerns. Densely populated areas symbolize high-value targets because of the potential for mass casualties and widespread social disruption. This issue influences each offensive and defensive methods, affecting useful resource allocation for civil protection and the event of evacuation plans.
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City Facilities as Strategic Targets
Main metropolitan areas, with their concentrated populations and significant infrastructure, are potential targets as a consequence of their financial, social, and political significance. A nuclear detonation in a densely populated metropolis might lead to large lack of life and widespread panic, considerably impacting a nation’s capability to operate. Examples embrace New York Metropolis, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
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Casualty Estimation and Useful resource Allocation
Inhabitants density information is essential for estimating potential casualties in a nuclear assault. This data informs selections relating to useful resource allocation for emergency companies, medical provides, and evacuation planning. Correct inhabitants information permits for simpler catastrophe preparedness and response methods.
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Psychological Impression and Social Disruption
Focusing on densely populated areas can have a devastating psychological influence on a nation. The sheer scale of potential casualties can undermine morale and create widespread concern and panic. The disruption to social constructions and important companies can additional exacerbate the psychological influence and hinder restoration efforts.
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Civil Protection and Evacuation Planning
Excessive inhabitants density presents vital challenges for civil protection and evacuation planning. Quickly evacuating massive numbers of individuals from city facilities is logistically advanced and requires intensive planning and assets. Inhabitants density information is crucial for growing efficient evacuation routes and shelter methods.
Understanding the connection between inhabitants density and nuclear focusing on is essential for growing complete nationwide safety methods and efficient civil protection plans. The focus of populations in city facilities presents each a big vulnerability and a fancy problem within the context of nuclear warfare, highlighting the significance of preventative measures like arms management and diplomatic options.
3. Army Installations
Army installations symbolize prime targets in nuclear warfare as a consequence of their position in projecting nationwide energy and their strategic significance. These services home personnel, weaponry, and command facilities important for army operations. Focusing on these installations goals to cripple an adversary’s capability to answer an assault, disrupt command and management constructions, and degrade its general army functionality. The varieties of army installations related on this context embrace nuclear weapon storage websites, air pressure bases, naval bases, and command facilities, such because the Pentagon or Cheyenne Mountain Advanced. The presence of nuclear weapons themselves at a specific set up elevates its strategic significance and makes it a probable goal in a nuclear change.
The precise capabilities of a army set up affect its focusing on precedence. For instance, bases housing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are high-value targets as a consequence of their quick risk potential. Equally, naval bases internet hosting nuclear submarines turn out to be essential targets due to their second-strike functionality. Focusing on strategic bomber bases goals to neutralize long-range nuclear supply methods. The influence of destroying such installations extends past the quick destruction, impacting logistics, communication, and general pressure readiness. Take into account the potential disruption to world army operations if a significant naval base like Naval Station Norfolk had been incapacitated.
Understanding the position of army installations as potential nuclear targets underscores the advanced calculations concerned in nuclear technique. This data informs defensive methods, useful resource allocation, and the event of deterrence insurance policies. The vulnerability of those installations highlights the significance of arms management agreements, de-escalation methods, and diplomatic efforts to reduce the danger of nuclear battle. The potential penalties of focusing on army installations, each when it comes to quick destruction and long-term strategic implications, emphasize the vital want for worldwide cooperation and battle decision mechanisms.
4. Industrial Capability
Industrial capability performs a vital position in figuring out potential targets in a nuclear battle. A nation’s capability to provide battle supplies, important items, and keep vital infrastructure is important for sustaining a battle effort. Focusing on key industrial sectors goals to cripple manufacturing, disrupt provide chains, and finally weaken an adversary’s capability to wage battle. This issue is interwoven with financial stability, useful resource availability, and the general resilience of a nation’s infrastructure.
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Manufacturing Hubs
Concentrated areas of producing, notably these producing army gear, automobiles, plane, and munitions, are potential targets. Disrupting these hubs might severely impede an adversary’s capability to replenish its army assets and maintain its battle effort. Examples embrace the Detroit automotive business or aerospace manufacturing in Southern California. The lack of these manufacturing capabilities might have long-term strategic implications.
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Useful resource Extraction and Processing
Places concerned in extracting and processing essential assets, akin to oil refineries, metal mills, and mines producing strategically vital minerals, are additionally potential targets. Disrupting these industries might cripple the manufacturing of important supplies for army gear and significant infrastructure. As an illustration, focusing on oil refineries in Texas might considerably disrupt gas provides. The influence on a nation’s capability to operate in wartime could be substantial.
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Vitality Manufacturing and Distribution
Energy crops, electrical grids, and gas pipelines are vital for sustaining industrial output and important companies. Focusing on these services goals to disrupt power manufacturing, cripple industrial exercise, and disrupt day by day life. Attacking a significant hydroelectric dam, such because the Hoover Dam, might have cascading results on energy distribution throughout a large area, impacting not solely industrial capability but in addition important civilian companies.
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Transportation Networks
Railways, ports, and main highways are important for transporting uncooked supplies, completed items, and army personnel. Focusing on these transportation hubs goals to disrupt provide chains, isolate industrial facilities, and hinder the motion of army forces. Disrupting main rail hubs like Chicago might severely influence the distribution of products throughout the nation, impacting each army and civilian logistics.
The focusing on of business capability in a nuclear battle underscores the interconnectedness of contemporary economies and the potential for widespread disruption. The lack of key industrial facilities, useful resource manufacturing services, and transportation networks might have devastating long-term penalties for a nation’s capability to get better and rebuild. This understanding emphasizes the significance of diversifying industrial manufacturing, strengthening infrastructure resilience, and pursuing diplomatic options to keep away from such catastrophic situations.
5. Infrastructure Networks
Infrastructure networks symbolize vital parts of a nation’s performance and, consequently, potential targets in a nuclear battle. These networks, important for communication, transportation, power distribution, and the circulate of products and companies, are important for societal stability and financial exercise. Focusing on infrastructure networks goals to disrupt important companies, cripple transportation, isolate inhabitants facilities, and hinder restoration efforts. Their disruption can have cascading results, impacting a number of sectors and exacerbating the general injury attributable to a nuclear assault. Understanding their vulnerability is essential for growing efficient defensive methods and mitigation plans.
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Communication Techniques
Communication networks, together with phone traces, web infrastructure, and satellite tv for pc communication methods, are important for coordinating emergency response, sustaining command and management, and disseminating data to the general public. Disrupting communication networks can severely hinder rescue efforts, create widespread panic, and impede the federal government’s capability to handle the disaster. Take into account the influence of dropping mobile service and web entry in a significant metropolitan space following a nuclear detonation.
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Transportation Infrastructure
Highway networks, railways, airports, and seaports are important for evacuating populations, transporting emergency provides, and sustaining logistical help. Focusing on these networks goals to impede motion, isolate affected areas, and hinder the distribution of important items and companies. The destruction of key bridges or rail traces might successfully isolate total areas, delaying help and hindering restoration.
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Vitality Grids
Energy crops, electrical transmission traces, and distribution networks are essential for offering electrical energy to properties, companies, hospitals, and different important services. Disrupting the power grid can result in widespread blackouts, impacting important companies, hindering industrial exercise, and disrupting day by day life. Think about the results of a protracted energy outage in a densely populated city middle throughout a nuclear winter situation.
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Water Provide Techniques
Water therapy crops, reservoirs, and distribution pipelines present important ingesting water and help sanitation methods. Focusing on these methods can result in water shortages, enhance the danger of waterborne illnesses, and additional complicate restoration efforts. Compromising a significant water supply might have devastating penalties for public well being and hygiene within the aftermath of a nuclear assault.
The interconnected nature of those infrastructure networks signifies that disrupting one can have cascading results on others. A focused assault on the power grid, for instance, might additionally influence communication methods and water therapy services, exacerbating the general disaster. Understanding these interdependencies is essential for growing complete nationwide safety methods and efficient civil protection plans. The vulnerability of infrastructure networks highlights the need of strong redundancy measures, backup methods, and decentralized infrastructure to boost nationwide resilience within the face of a possible nuclear assault.
6. Political Significance
Political significance, within the context of potential nuclear targets, transcends mere bodily destruction. It encompasses the symbolic worth of a goal, its influence on political processes, and its potential to affect the trajectory of a battle. Focusing on areas of political significance goals to disrupt governance, undermine management, demoralize the inhabitants, and finally affect the political panorama.
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Seats of Authorities
Capital cities, legislative buildings, and government residences are high-value targets as a consequence of their symbolic illustration of nationwide authority. Focusing on these areas goals to disrupt governance, create political instability, and doubtlessly decapitate management. Washington D.C., because the seat of the U.S. federal authorities, exemplifies a goal of excessive political significance. Its destruction might severely disrupt the functioning of the federal government and create an influence vacuum.
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Symbolic Targets
Places imbued with nationwide or cultural significance, akin to nationwide monuments, historic websites, or iconic landmarks, will be focused for his or her psychological influence. Destroying these symbols goals to undermine nationwide id, demoralize the inhabitants, and erode public help for the battle effort. The destruction of the Statue of Liberty, for instance, would have a profound psychological influence on the American populace, far past the bodily injury.
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Facilities of Political Energy
Focusing on areas the place key political figures reside or convene, akin to presidential retreats or strategic command facilities, goals to disrupt decision-making processes and doubtlessly remove key leaders. Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, serves for instance of a location the place focusing on might disrupt government capabilities and create political instability throughout a disaster.
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Media and Communication Hubs
Main media retailers, broadcasting facilities, and web infrastructure will be focused to manage the circulate of data, manipulate public notion, and disrupt communication networks. Focusing on main information networks in New York Metropolis, as an example, might hinder the dissemination of data and doubtlessly create confusion and panic throughout a nationwide emergency.
The political implications of focusing on these areas lengthen past the quick bodily destruction. The lack of management, disruption of governance, and psychological influence on the inhabitants can considerably alter the political panorama, doubtlessly resulting in instability, regime change, or a shift within the steadiness of energy. Understanding the political dimensions of nuclear focusing on is essential for growing efficient deterrence methods, selling diplomatic options, and mitigating the dangers of escalation in worldwide conflicts.
7. Financial Impression
Nuclear focusing on profoundly impacts financial stability, contemplating each quick destruction and long-term penalties. Focusing on monetary facilities, industrial hubs, and commerce routes disrupts financial exercise, doubtlessly triggering world market instability. The destruction of manufacturing services, infrastructure, and human capital results in vital losses in financial output. For instance, focusing on the New York Inventory Change or the Chicago Mercantile Change might set off world monetary panic, whereas destroying main ports like Los Angeles or Lengthy Seashore might cripple worldwide commerce, impacting provide chains worldwide and inflicting financial shockwaves. The lack of expert labor as a consequence of casualties additional exacerbates financial decline.
Past quick destruction, the financial penalties ripple via interconnected world methods. Disruptions in commerce, finance, and useful resource availability influence worldwide markets, doubtlessly triggering recessions or depressions. The price of rebuilding infrastructure, offering medical care, and managing displacement strains nationwide budgets and diverts assets from different important sectors. Take into account the long-term financial influence of the Chernobyl catastrophe, the place the price of containment and decontamination continues to burden the affected area a long time later. Equally, a nuclear assault on a significant U.S. metropolis might result in a long time of financial restoration and redevelopment efforts, straining nationwide assets and impacting future generations.
Understanding the financial influence of nuclear focusing on is essential for growing mitigation methods, fostering worldwide cooperation, and emphasizing the significance of non-proliferation efforts. The potential for widespread financial devastation underscores the necessity for strategic useful resource administration, diversification of vital infrastructure, and funding in resilient financial methods. The long-term prices related to restoration and reconstruction additional spotlight the financial advantages of stopping nuclear battle via diplomatic options and arms management agreements. The catastrophic financial penalties function a stark reminder of the significance of world stability and cooperation in mitigating these dangers.
8. Retaliatory Potential
Retaliatory potential is intrinsically linked to nuclear focusing on methods. A nation’s capability to answer a nuclear assault with a reputable counter-strike influences an adversary’s calculations and performs a vital position in deterrence. Understanding retaliatory potential requires analyzing the survivability of nuclear forces, the variety of supply methods, and the effectiveness of command and management constructions. This issue considerably shapes the dynamics of nuclear deterrence and influences the composition of potential goal lists.
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Survivability of Nuclear Forces
The flexibility of a nation’s nuclear arsenal to face up to a primary strike is paramount for sustaining a reputable deterrent. This survivability depends on elements akin to hardening of missile silos, deployment of cellular launchers, and the utilization of submarines as launch platforms. A nation’s second-strike functionality influences an adversary’s threat evaluation and reduces the probability of a preemptive assault. For instance, the deployment of nuclear-armed submarines ensures a retaliatory functionality even when land-based missile silos are destroyed.
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Variety of Supply Techniques
Possessing a spread of supply methods, together with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers, enhances retaliatory potential. This range complicates an adversary’s defensive methods and will increase the probability that some weapons will penetrate defenses. Sustaining a triad of supply methods ensures flexibility and redundancy in a retaliatory strike, rising its credibility and effectiveness.
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Command and Management Resilience
Strong and survivable command and management methods are important for guaranteeing that retaliatory forces can obtain and execute launch orders even after a nuclear assault. Redundant communication networks, hardened command facilities, and different communication strategies contribute to the resilience of those methods. The flexibility to keep up efficient command and management in a post-attack surroundings is essential for guaranteeing a reputable and coordinated retaliatory strike.
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Focusing on Technique and Deterrence
A nation’s focusing on technique, together with the choice of potential targets and the deliberate scale of retaliation, immediately influences its deterrent posture. A clearly articulated and credible retaliatory technique, coupled with a demonstrable functionality to execute it, discourages potential adversaries from initiating a nuclear assault. The perceived effectiveness of a nation’s retaliatory potential is a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence principle.
Retaliatory potential is a vital part of nuclear technique. It influences the composition of goal lists, shapes the dynamics of deterrence, and finally impacts the probability of nuclear battle. By understanding the elements that contribute to a reputable retaliatory functionality, nations can improve their safety, promote strategic stability, and contribute to a safer worldwide surroundings. The advanced interaction between retaliatory potential and nuclear focusing on underscores the significance of arms management agreements, diplomatic efforts, and ongoing dialogue to mitigate the dangers of nuclear battle.
Often Requested Questions
This part addresses widespread questions relating to the advanced matter of potential nuclear targets and their strategic implications. Understanding these features is essential for a complete perspective on nuclear safety and deterrence.
Query 1: What standards decide potential nuclear targets?
Goal choice entails quite a few elements, together with army significance (e.g., missile silos, command facilities), inhabitants density, industrial capability, financial influence, and political symbolism. Strategic worth, potential for disruption, and retaliatory implications all affect goal prioritization.
Query 2: Does a publicly out there listing of U.S. nuclear targets exist?
Particular goal lists are labeled data. Publicly disclosing such data would compromise nationwide safety and undermine strategic planning. Nonetheless, analyses based mostly on open-source data and historic precedent can provide insights into potential goal classes.
Query 3: How does nuclear deterrence affect focusing on methods?
Nuclear deterrence depends on the credible risk of retaliation. Focusing on methods are designed to reveal the potential and resolve to answer an assault, thereby discouraging potential adversaries from initiating a nuclear change. Sustaining a survivable and various nuclear arsenal is essential for credible deterrence.
Query 4: What position do arms management agreements play in managing potential targets?
Arms management agreements purpose to restrict the manufacturing and deployment of nuclear weapons, lowering the general variety of potential targets and mitigating the danger of escalation. These agreements contribute to strategic stability and cut back the probability of nuclear battle.
Query 5: How does civil protection planning issue into focusing on concerns?
Understanding potential targets informs civil protection methods, together with evacuation plans, useful resource allocation for emergency companies, and public training initiatives. Efficient civil protection planning goals to mitigate the influence of a nuclear assault and improve inhabitants survivability.
Query 6: What’s the significance of understanding potential nuclear targets?
Analyzing potential targets offers insights into nuclear technique, deterrence dynamics, and the potential penalties of nuclear battle. This understanding underscores the significance of diplomacy, arms management, and worldwide cooperation in stopping nuclear battle.
Understanding the advanced concerns surrounding nuclear focusing on emphasizes the vital significance of ongoing diplomatic efforts and worldwide cooperation to stop nuclear battle. The potential humanitarian, financial, and environmental penalties underscore the necessity for continued dialogue and de-escalation methods.
Additional exploration of associated matters, akin to nuclear deterrence principle, arms management treaties, and civil protection methods, can present a extra complete understanding of this vital subject.
Preparedness and Mitigation Methods
Whereas the particular focusing on of nuclear weapons stays labeled, understanding the overall ideas and potential penalties can inform preparedness and mitigation methods. These insights empower people and communities to boost their resilience within the face of such a catastrophic occasion. The next ideas provide sensible steerage for preparedness and response planning.
Tip 1: Develop a Household Emergency Plan: Set up a communication plan, designate assembly factors, and assemble emergency provides. Take into account potential evacuation routes and sheltering choices. A well-defined plan enhances coordination and will increase the probability of reunification in a disaster. Guarantee all relations perceive the plan and follow it frequently.
Tip 2: Construct an Emergency Provide Equipment: Stockpile important provides, together with water, non-perishable meals, first-aid equipment, medicines, radio, flashlight, batteries, and sanitation objects. These provides are essential for survival within the quick aftermath of a catastrophe when entry to important companies could also be disrupted. Frequently verify and replenish the equipment to make sure its readiness.
Tip 3: Perceive Radiation Dangers and Protecting Measures: Familiarize oneself with the results of radiation publicity and find out about protecting measures. Sheltering in place, ideally in a basement or central room away from home windows, can considerably cut back publicity. Following official directions relating to evacuation and decontamination procedures is vital. Understanding the ideas of time, distance, and shielding can improve survival in a radiation-contaminated surroundings.
Tip 4: Keep Knowledgeable: Monitor official information sources for emergency alerts and directions. Dependable data is essential for making knowledgeable selections throughout a disaster. Keep away from spreading misinformation and depend on verified sources for updates and steerage.
Tip 5: Assist Group Preparedness Initiatives: Take part in neighborhood emergency planning efforts, volunteer with native catastrophe aid organizations, and advocate for enhanced civil protection measures. Group-level preparedness strengthens collective resilience and enhances the effectiveness of response efforts.
Tip 6: Advocate for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Arms Management: Assist insurance policies and organizations that promote nuclear non-proliferation and arms management. These efforts are essential for lowering the worldwide threat of nuclear battle and selling worldwide safety. Advocating for diplomatic options and peaceable battle decision is crucial for mitigating the existential risk of nuclear weapons.
These preparedness measures can improve particular person and neighborhood resilience within the face of a nuclear occasion. Whereas the prospect of such an occasion is devastating, taking proactive steps to organize can enhance the chances of survival and restoration. Understanding potential penalties and vulnerabilities is essential for knowledgeable decision-making and efficient mitigation planning.
The significance of those preparedness measures underscores the vital want for ongoing diplomatic efforts and worldwide cooperation aimed toward stopping nuclear battle. A dedication to peaceable decision, de-escalation, and arms management stays the best technique for mitigating the existential risk posed by nuclear weapons.
Conclusion
Potential targets in a nuclear change embody vital infrastructure, inhabitants facilities, army installations, and industrial hubs. Elements akin to strategic significance, inhabitants density, financial influence, and retaliatory potential affect goal prioritization. Understanding these elements offers essential context for nationwide safety planning, civil protection preparedness, and the significance of worldwide diplomacy.
The profound implications of nuclear focusing on underscore the vital want for continued efforts towards nuclear non-proliferation, arms management, and peaceable battle decision. The potential for catastrophic humanitarian, financial, and environmental penalties necessitates ongoing dialogue and a world dedication to stopping nuclear battle. The pursuit of a safer world requires sustained worldwide cooperation and a dedication to mitigating the existential risk posed by nuclear weapons.
