Fighting cyber attacks with nuclear weapons

LT ... consider this as a reason for a Nuke counter attack...
Even though the possibilities of a cyber attack as slim... they are not impossible, Especially against Nuke Power Plants and facilities...

Some of our older Nuke Power Facilities are susceptible to Hacking... and if some one successfully "scrams" a Reactor or "2", if they are online, they will make Chernobyl Look Like the like a back woods "BBQ"
The resulting Meltdown and probable Explosion would contaminate every thing with in 20 miles and 200 miles or more down range...
the Cyberattacks that have been going on since the late 90 and many of the attempts have been successful... Luckily they have only effected the distribution stations and Hydro and coal fired stations...

With the advancement in technology and everything being on line now... its only a Mater of time before the Bad guys break in and or threw the Fire walls and do something really Bad ...
FYI the States Of NC/SC alone, Have more then 15 Nuke Power Plants, and Operated Facilities that is More than 3 dozen Nuke reactors and potential devices, if these Plants went off , in these areas the areas of Fall out and devastation would be from Metro Atlanta to Metro DC and Baltimore... this does not bringing in the consideration the damaged done to a Meltdown of the Financial markets and finance systems if they were attacked... as in the Equifax Breach (160 million people ) last spring... I was effected ... Were You...

Please don't be Up set ... As an NCO I never Learned Tact... Facts truth reality and experience ... that's what you get for answers from me ...

The US, as the article points out, has never ruled out first use of nuclear weapons. And not just for extreme cases like when the enemy uses biological weapons. During the cold war, with NATO and the Warsaw Pact faced off in Europe, we were at a significant disadvantage in conventional forces. So the Soviets kept proposing that both sides renounce the first use of nukes. But we said screw you, if you roll your gazillion tanks across the Fulda Gap we reserve the right to nuke the shit out of your country if we are losing the conventional battle. It’s all part of deterrence theory, where the damage to both sides launching their nukes would far outweigh any possible gain that could be achieved conventionally.

So it isn’t really a big step to add certain types of cyber attacks to the list of acts of war we reserve the right to respond to with nukes. And the thing about deterrence theory is that you don’t keep the threat secret. Rather you expressly state it. If it’s a secret, then it has no deterrent effect.

An air burst nuke would send out an EMP which would cripple electronic devices. Your electronic enemy would then cease to exist. Your land poisoning fear is not there automatically. The blast would not need to be large. Something as small as a nuclear depth charge would suffice. Therefore, your death and destruction fear are not there either. An air burst outside of the city limits in the outskirts, or say a lake, would give off the appropriate "show."

Now...before we mount pulpits and thumb to the appropriate scripture...

Note that a cyber attack against America's vastly electronic world could shut down a nuclear power station, shut down a hospital, etc. That would - natch - result in a death or two. Especially if someone cyber'd a nuke power station and caused the pile to go critical. This would and could cause a meltdown which will use the nearest American citizens as skillets. So when we cleanly reply with a death-free EMP, won't we be doing the same thing? Won't hospitals shut down from lack of power as well? I think so. Ah...here's that scripture; "an eye for an eye..."