RE: Will there be a nuclear strike in your lifetime?
June 4, 2017 at 12:38 pm
(This post was last modified: June 4, 2017 at 12:42 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(June 4, 2017 at 12:08 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: I think the chances of an accidental detonation are higher than most folks appreciate, and as more players get in the game, the odds of one increase. I note Pakistan's deployment scheme (if they are still doing it) is really lame, and even US and former Soviet devices might have components aging in unexpected ways . . .
I think the most likely place of a serious accident involving nuclear weapons resulting from fire, flood riot, poor maintenance, and improper handling is still Russia, on account of the very large number of warheads there, and the far larger financial and organizational effort required to ensure they are all properly accounted for and maintained than smaller arsenals of lesser powers.
The state of dilapidation of critical strategic infrastructure in the former USSR is such that the roof of the hanger housing a mothballed Soviet space shuttle was allowed to deteriorate until it collapsed, destroying the $1 billion shuttle orbitor. This happened while the Russian space authorities were negotiating with NASA concerning reviving the soviet shuttle in collaboration with the US in the aftermath the Colombia accident.
