Yes and no, America does have a similar sized arsenal, but the difference is the president isn’t in control of the button itself. The “nuclear football” is more like a private key and order transmittal device, basically if the nuke missile silos receive an order from it, they can trust it’s legit because the presidents football signed it. The silos firing mechanisms are also all independent. They can still choose to not insert their key and turn it (of which it takes 2)
In Russia, it may very well be that Putler has actual control of the actual button that controls the actual firing mechanisms of the silos themselves.
And I think they’re much more likely to want to launch a nuke. Russia is fighting on Russian soil and experiencing some pretty intense economic issues due to the war, whereas the US hasn’t fought on US soil since… the Civil War? And that’s with fighting in both world wars and a number of other undeclared wars.
Russia could argue they’re using them defensively, which might save them from retaliation (probably not), whereas the US has no excuse. I’m much more worried about the cornered animal than apex predator, because you can predict what the predator is going to do.
Yes and no, America does have a similar sized arsenal, but the difference is the president isn’t in control of the button itself. The “nuclear football” is more like a private key and order transmittal device, basically if the nuke missile silos receive an order from it, they can trust it’s legit because the presidents football signed it. The silos firing mechanisms are also all independent. They can still choose to not insert their key and turn it (of which it takes 2)
In Russia, it may very well be that Putler has actual control of the actual button that controls the actual firing mechanisms of the silos themselves.
And I think they’re much more likely to want to launch a nuke. Russia is fighting on Russian soil and experiencing some pretty intense economic issues due to the war, whereas the US hasn’t fought on US soil since… the Civil War? And that’s with fighting in both world wars and a number of other undeclared wars.
Russia could argue they’re using them defensively, which might save them from retaliation (probably not), whereas the US has no excuse. I’m much more worried about the cornered animal than apex predator, because you can predict what the predator is going to do.