| Comment | You're right, but for an attacker, there is still long-term value in knocking out the submarine maintenance facilities. Rosyth will be on target lists for similar reasons.
However, the whole point of the "continuous at-sea deterrent" is there is always a sub out there ready to strike.
Nuking Faslane is not the same as trying to hit ICBM silos before they can launch.
It seems most likely that a modern-day nuclear exchange would be a gradually escalating tit-for-tat as one side tries to impose its will on the other. A full-blown Cold War scenario with thousands of missiles all launching at once is much less likely.
(The one caveat with this is that we're assuming the leadership, or at least some in the chain of command, on both sides are still acting rationally) |
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