US, Russia Accidental Nuclear War Could End Civilization, Says Expert
BY ATHENA YENKO ON EMAIL @MORNINGNEWSUSA
PUBLISHED: 6:10 PM, DEC 9, 2015 UPDATED: 6:10 PM, DEC 9, 2015
Nuclear technology expert Dr. Theodore Postol floated frightening insights about a possible
accidental nuclear war between Russia and the U.S.Nuclear Explosion from Pixabay
The highlights of his points were: U.S. and Russia both have nuclear weapons more powerful than the ones detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Moscow, however, has more advanced weapons than America. These arsenals could end human life on Earth; hence, nobody wins a nuclear war.
Postol is the former advisor to the U.S. chief of Naval Operations and a professor at MIT. He does not believe that the U.S. and Russia are readying their nuclear weapons against each other. But since both of the nations have been spending money in their respective nuclear arsenal, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama are risking an accidental nuclear war.
“I believe, from what I’ve seen on both sides, that the concern about the potential for the complete destruction of each country and the world is still very high. The problem is that as long as forces are on alert, at a high level, there’s always the possibility of a series of unexpected accidents that could lead to nuclear exchange, and I think, that’s the real danger,” Postol told RT.
Postol noted that both Mr. Putin and Mr. Obama have nuclear weapons under their command that are more than 100 times powerful that the ones detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In painting the picture, Postol said that a typical warhead from a Russian missile can carry up to 10 warheads. It can destroy all of Manhattan, most of Staten Island, and large parts of New Jersey to the west. Damage could extend to the borough of Brooklyn, most of Queens and the Bronx. On the other end of the equation, a similar warhead from the U.S. could destroy most of Russia’s capital city up to 150 square kilometers of the city. Postol was just talking about detonating one nuclear bomb.
Postol, however, noted one unsettling fact about U.S. nuclear arsenals: “modernization does not take place when it should.” There has been neglect from the side of Pentagon he hinted, saying that “maintaining the current forces at a proper level has not been as high as it should’ve been.” Russia had recently announced successful tests of its doomsday plane.
Indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry announced in October the government’s plans to develop new nuclear warheads to replace the old warhead types. Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a contract amounting to $49 million last week. The contract involves outfitting 5 more warships with the Aegis system. The Defense Department also announced mid-year its plans of advancing its nuclear stockpile, eyeing threats from Russia and China.
One thing significant from Postol’s insights was how massive America’s influence as to whether one country should and should not have nuclear stockpile. “If I were Japanese I would not want to have nuclear weapons. The reason is, I’m under the protection of the U.S., and if I get nuclear weapons, it will cause to be a target of the Chinese, it will cause the South Koreans to become extremely concerned, to the point that they might react in a bad way, and my overall security situation would be worse,” Postol explained. On the other hand, “if I’m alone, if I’m Russia, and the Americans have a nuclear monopoly – I would want nuclear weapons, because I’m not dependant on another nuclear power to offset the American threat,” He said.
But the most noteworthy insight from Postol that all world leaders should take note of is that “it’s not possible to win a nuclear war.” The massive use of nuclear weapons would end civilization and might actually end human life on the planet, he warned.
