Issues: Nuclear Energy, Waste & Weapons

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All Documents in Nuclear Energy, Waste & Weapons Tagged SIOP

Snapshots from the U.S. Nuclear War Plan
Photo Album

These maps, diagrams and charts -- produced by NRDC's nuclear war plans project -- offer a snapshot of what a nuclear attack on Russia would look like under the top-secret U.S. nuclear war plan, with target locations, fallout clouds, and fatalities. They drive home the grotesque results that would occur if nuclear weapons were used; common sense demands the abolition of the current plan in favor of a "saner" plan that rests on different assumptions, with far fewer warheads.

Exposing the U.S. Nuclear War Plan
News

The Cold War is over -- so why does the United States still aim thousands of nuclear warheads at Russia? The answer lies in the top-secret U.S. nuclear war plan. This article is a user-friendly overview of a June 2001 report from NRDC's nuclear program that exposes the long-hidden assumptions that underlie the war plan, and calls for new thinking that can bring deeper nuclear arms reductions and a safer global future.

The U.S. Nuclear War Plan: A Time for Change
Report

A June 2001 report from NRDC's nuclear program assessing the U.S. nuclear war planning process and the assumptions and logic of the SIOP, or Single Integrated Operational Plan, a Cold War relic that continues to guide U.S. nuclear war plans. Using customized computer software and a vast aggregation of declassified and open-source data to closely approximate the tools that SIOP planners use, NRDC has simulated a U.S. attack against Russian nuclear forces and attacks against Russian cities. The report includes a description of the history, evolution and working process of SIOP; detailed descriptions of the NRDC nuclear war simulation model and target database; and policy recommendations.

For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.