Command Study 14, Chapter 1. The Role of Nonmilitary Defense Page: 15
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Although an aggressor will probably plan his attack deliberately to confuse
and wreck national defense plans, known capabilities of existing nuclear nations
include a wide range of delivery systems, weapons size, and explosive effects
on which to base overall strategy. An attack can be planned for any time of day
or night in any season of the year with advanced warning ranging from a few
minutes to several days. On the other hand, the National Plan does not discount
the possibility that an attack may be planned without warning. For national
planning and civil defense purposes, the United States can be alerted to an im-
pending nuclear attack through strategic or tactical warning. Based on prior
knowledge of a possible attack, a strategic warning might range from verified
information of an enemy's intention to attack at a given time to an accumulation
of many interconnected actions and reactions which indicate an enemy's probable
intention to attack. If strategic warning indicates a high probability of attack,
the National Plan envisions the prudent implementation of emergency plans in
the military, civil defense, economic, and political fields. On the other hand,
a tactical warning of an intercontinental missile attack already launched would
generally not exceed 15 minutes for initial targets; tactical warning of a manned
bomber attack could be as much as three hours for initial targets. The nation's
emergency plans therefore must be thoroughly developed prior to an actual at-
tack in order for the population to respond to all contingencies and, at the same
time, flexible enough to take advantage of the survival values inherent in strate-
gic warning.
Although a nuclear attack admittedly would cause widespread death and
destruction from blast and heat effects with the probability of heavy fallout over
much of the country, defense plans do not anticipate total obliteration of the
United States, provided that pre-attack plans are operational. Regardless of
the fact that any point in the United States can be destroyed or contaminated,
leading scientists and military officials agree that there would be great varia-
tions in the amount and degree of devastation, and manyareas would most like-
ly be completely free from the gruesome effects of nuclear explosions. Even
though a nationwide system of shelters and efficient civil defense operations
would save millions of lives, loss of life and property would be incomprehensible,
especially in an attack on population centers. Whatever the kind and degree of
attack, casualties, hardships, and suffering would no doubt constitute the most
serious immediate problem in the post-attack period.
In addition to the tremendous loss of life, displacement of huge segments
of the population, and the extensive destruction of property, the nation would
suffer severe damage to its resources, internal systems, and ecological re-
lationships. Undoubtedly, the most immediate economic results of a general
nuclear attack would be a substantial loss of capital assets and wealth, disrup-
tion of the financial and credit structure, and shortages and maldistribution of
manpower and materials. Very probably, severe shortages of health resources
--manpower, materials, and facilities- -would disrupt critical health and sani-
tation services in many areas for extended periods. These conditions would re-
quire a high degree of individual, family, and group self- sufficiency to main-
tain the health of these areas and to care for the sick and injured. Under cer-
tain attack conditions, the national supply of certain resources might be adequate
to meet the overall demand; on the other hand, severe imbalances may exist
between surviving resources and population demands. Rigid conservation meas-
ures and control over distribution would therefore be required in the post-attack15
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Air University (U.S.). Command Study 14, Chapter 1. The Role of Nonmilitary Defense, pamphlet, June 1965; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1010302/m1/25/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.