At least eight countries in the world have nuclear weapons. Some nuclear powers are America’s allies, such as the UK and France. However, Russia and China both have nuclear weapons and are antagonistic towards the US. There are also many terror groups around the world actively trying to get a nuclear weapon with which to attack America. So, could we ever see a nuclear strike on the US?
It is extremely unlikely that America could be nuked. The US has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world and would retaliate against any country or terror-group that attacked it. This would mean almost certain annihilation for any actor that launched a nuclear attack against America.
…but that’s just an overview. To really understand if the US could be nuked, we need go into a bit more detail.
Can A Nuclear Bomb Hit The US?
The first question we need to look at to fully understand the possibilities of a nuclear attack on the United States is if the country could actually be hit by a nuclear strike?
It is possible for a nuclear bomb to hit the United States. Russia and China, as well as the UK, France, have nuclear weapons that can hit the US. North Korea is also developing a nuclear weapon that could hit the US, but it is disputed if they have technology yet to do this.
Most countries that have nuclear weapons have the capacity to hit the US. Almost all nuclear powers have long range inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM). These have range of thousands of miles and can be launched against the United States from a country’s territory. If a country can make a nuclear warhead small enough to hit on an ICBM, then it likely they have ability to hit the US with a nuclear strike.
It is certain that both Russia and China have ICBMs that can hit the US with a nuclear weapon.
Several nuclear armed countries also have submarines that can launch nuclear weapons. These can hit the US as submariners can move to waters off the coast of America and hit it with a nuclear strike.
China, Russia, the UK, and France all have nuclear submarines that could fire and hit the US.
Can The US Stop A Nuclear Attack?
The second factor we need to consider when discussing if the United States could be the victim of a nuclear strike is if America has the capacity to stop a nuclear attack?
It is unlikely that the US could stop a nuclear attack. Although America is protected by the National Missile Defence System (NMDS), this is designed to stop a relatively unsophisticated attack. A nuclear attack would likely be launched from a submarine close to the US, which the NMDS could not stop.
The United States has, since the Cold War, attempted missile defence systems. These were designed to stop a nuclear strike against the US.
In 1984, the US announced the Strategic Defence Initiative. Although never realised, this aimed to stop a nuclear attack against the United States by using a range of advanced military technology including lasers and x-rays. However, by the end of the Cold War, these technologies had still not been developed and the project was reduced from the 1990s onwards.
The current American system to try and stop a nuclear attack is called the National Missile Defence System. It is far less sophisticated than the Strategic Defence Initiative. It could not stop a nuclear attack from an advanced enemy but is likely capable of stopping a cruder attack.
What Would Happen If The US Was Nuked?
The next question we need to ask if we’re going to understand if the United States could be nuked is actually what would happen if it was. It’s important get to grips with how catastrophic a nuclear attack on the US might me. So, what would it look like if America was attacked with a nuclear weapon?
A nuclear attack on the US would result in huge loss of life – potentially millions of Americans would be killed. The US would respond to any nuclear attack by launching their own nuclear strike, meaning a full nuclear war would almost certainly result.
It is impossible to predict exactly what would happen if America was hit by a nuclear weapon. However, it would be certain that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of American’s would die. This would surely be the case if a major American city was nuked.
The second thing that is almost certain to happen if America was attacked with a nuclear weapon is that the US would retaliate. Any state that launched a nuclear weapon against the US would be struck by an American counterstrike almost immediately. This is what is known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) – as both America and the other country would be almost completely annihilated.
If there was a nuclear attack against America not carried out by a country – for example if a terror group that was able to set off a nuclear weapon in a major US city, America would launch a worldwide war to eradicate that group. Essentially this would look much the like the War on Terror launched after the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks. However, it would likely be more extensive as the loss of life from a nuclear attack on America would be far greater than on 9/11.
Which American Cities Could Be Nuked?
We know that it is possible for the US to be attacked with a nuclear weapon, and also that the US would be unlikely to be able to stop a nuclear strike. So, if America could be nuked, what would the target likely be? Really, there are three cities that would likely be hit in a nuclear attack on the United States. These are:
- Washington DC
- New York
- Los Angeles
Let’s look at each of these…
Washington DC
Washington DC is the capital of the United States. Any country, or terror group, wanting to attack America with a nuclear weapon would likely strike Washington DC. This would destroy the US government and reduce the ability of the US to coordinate a response.
The only reason Washington DC would not be the first target of a nuclear attack on the US would be if it was out of range or if the attacking country or group wanted to leave the US government intact so as to negotiate with them after the initial attack.
New York
New York is the most populous city in America. It is also the economic centre of the United States. It is likely a nuclear strike against America would target New York City. This would kill the most people and cause enormous damage to the American economy.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US. It is also the economic centre in the West of the country. LA is another possible target for a nuclear strike against America. It is a likely target if a nuclear strike was to come from Asia, especially from a country with limited range capabilities.
Has America Ever Been Attacked With A Nuclear Weapon?
In order to fully understand if the US could be nuked, we need to look into history. So, has there ever been a time when America was attacked with a nuclear weapon, and if there has been, what happened?
The United States has never been attacked with a nuclear weapon. No country has ever launched a nuclear strike against America. No American cities have ever been nuked and tactical nuclear weapons have never been used against US troops.
There have only ever been two nuclear attacks in history. These were both launched against Japan by the United States at the end of World War Two. The first was against the Japanese city of Hiroshima, on the 6th August 1945. The second was against the city of Nagasaki, on 9th August 1945.
At no time in history has there been a nuclear strike against the United States. There has also never been an attempt to nuke America. In all the wars America has fought, since World War Two, nuclear weapons have never been used.
When Did The US Almost Get Nuked?
Ok, so the US has never been hit by a nuke before. However, there have been many near misses. Let’s take a quick look at some times when the US came closest to being hit with a nuclear weapon. Arguably the three nearest misses were:
- Cuban Missile Crisis, 1963
- EC-121 shootdown incident, 1969
- Able Archer, 1983
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these…
Cuban Missile Crisis, 1963
The Cuban Missile Crisis is perhaps the most famous time America almost got attacked with a nuclear weapon.
In 1963, in response to NATO placing missiles in Turkey, the Soviet Union began to move missiles towards Cuba. America saw this as a red-line, and it looked like the US was willing to sink Russian ships in order to stop the missiles reaching Cuba. A stalemate ensued and a single wrong move could have begun a war between America and the USSR. Thankfully, cool heads prevailed, and the Russian ships turned back. However, the Cuban Missile Crises very nearly saw America enter a nuclear war.
EC-121 Shootdown Incident, 1969
In 1969, a US EC-121 reconnaissance plane was shot down by North Korea. All 31 American’s onboard were killed. Allegedly, US President Richard Nixon ordered a nuclear strike against North Korea in retaliation. However, the order to stand down was given by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The story is that President Nixon was drunk when he gave the order.
A nuclear attack by America on North Korea would almost certainly have resulted in a retaliatory strike from the Soviet Union. This was another time when America almost got nuked.
Able Archer, 1983
Able Archer was the code name given to extensive military exercises by NATO carried on in 1983. Seeing major movements of military forces near their border, the Soviet leadership believed a large-scale invasion of the USSR was about to begin. In order to strike first, they nearly authorised a nuclear strike against the US. However, the military exercises were drawn down and the Soviet leadership came back from the brink.
The 1983 Able Archer incident is one of the closest times America ever came to being nuked.
Can A Nuclear Bomb Destroy The Whole Of America?
Finally, let’s look at the worse case scenario. What would happen if a major nuclear confrontation broke out between the US and another nuclear power? If a nuclear war did happen, would it be possible for the whole United States to be destroyed?
No single nuclear weapon could destroy all of America. Even the largest nuclear weapon in the world is not powerful enough to destroy the whole country. However, a large-scale nuclear war, involving an exchange of nuclear weapons, could kill almost the entire population of the US.
A nuclear attack against the United States is extremely unlikely. It’s almost impossible to conceive of a country attacking America with a nuclear weapon. However, if the US was hit with a nuclear strike, it would have to be hit with many for almost everyone in the country to be killed.
Even if the US was hit with dozens of nuclear weapons, people living in remote areas and far from population canters may survive. Although a nuclear winter would likely result from a large exchange of nuclear weapons, and so these people’s chances of surviving for a long-time would be limited.