nanog mailing list archives
Re: Every incident is an opportunity
From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () cs columbia edu>
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:45:47 -0500
On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:12:56 -0500 Barry Shein <bzs () world std com> wrote:
Of course, but the point was the goal of that targetting. The US public by and large believed, and seems to still believe (i.e., the TV show Jericho) that the goal of a USSR attack was purely vindictive, complete annhilation. Apparently Civil Defense leaned more towards invasion as a goal. No doubt as weapons systems evolve how you achieve one goal or the other evolves. Either goal leads to different targeting strategies, as possible. If your goal is invasion then value preservation is important (factories, bridges, civilian infrastructure, etc.) If anniliation is the goal than it's of no importance, just bomb the densest population centers.
Some of the time, that was the goal... It's not that anyone wanted that; however, it was (a) achievable, and (b) it was part of the MAD -- mutual assured destruction -- deterrent strategy. One could argue that that part, at least, worked, though I would assert that that was at least partially by accident. --Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb
Current thread:
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Robert Bonomi (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Barry Shein (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Steven M. Bellovin (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Barry Shein (Feb 12)
- Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") Olsen, Jason (Feb 12)
- Re: Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") micky coughes (Feb 12)
- Re: Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") Alexander Harrowell (Feb 12)
- Re: Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") Mike Lyon (Feb 12)
- Re: Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") Crist Clark (Feb 12)
- Re: Request for topic death on Cold War history (was "RE: Every incident is an opportunity") Jay Hennigan (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Steven M. Bellovin (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Barry Shein (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Steven M. Bellovin (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Paul Vixie (Feb 12)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Stephane Bortzmeyer (Feb 13)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Edward Lewis (Feb 13)
- Re: Every incident is an opportunity Joseph S D Yao (Feb 13)