112: Global strategic nuclear deterrence escalated?

“What?”

“Long Country is going to conduct a hydrogen bomb test on October 18th, and has also designated a no-go zone in the relevant waters of the South Pacific?”

At eight in the morning, the Pretty Country President read the State of the Union brief, feeling slightly surprised.

The State of the Union brief submitted by The Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to the White House Oval Office on October 17th had only one theme.

That was the escalation of global strategic nuclear deterrence!

However, this time, it wasn't Pretty Country that was escalating strategic nuclear deterrence with the Soviet Union, but Long Country!

“How dare Long Country?”

The Pretty Country President was extremely puzzled and continued to look at the State of the Union brief in his hand:

“Overview of the Incident:

On October 15th, Soviet Union tested a 50-megaton ‘Tsar Bomb’ in Novaya Zemlya, its mushroom cloud impacting the globe, and simultaneously announced the deployment of tactical nuclear missiles to army division-level units in the Eastern Theater, granting firing authority, to implement nuclear deterrence against Long Country!”

“Long Country’s Countermeasure:

Late at night on October 16th, Long Country’s Xinhua News Agency, under orders from the Ministry of National Defense, announced to the world that it would test a hydrogen bomb on the 18th, and designated parts of the South Pacific as a no-go zone, showcasing its strategic nuclear capabilities and forcefully responding to Soviet Union’s provocation!”

“Impact Assessment:

The Pentagon assesses that Long Country may be testing a new type of ballistic missile. If Long Country’s nuclear technology makes a leap forward or accelerates the Asia-Pacific arms race, caution is needed to prevent its nuclear confrontation with Soviet Union from spilling over into the Indo-Pacific, thus shaking the US military’s traditional deterrent advantage!”

“Where does Long Country get its confidence?”

“It actually wants to engage in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union?”

The Pretty Country President tapped the table with his knuckles, greatly perplexed.

In fact, the Soviet Union had secretly informed the White House in advance when it was preparing to deploy tactical nuclear missiles to division-level units in the Eastern Theater, in order to avoid causing misjudgment by Pretty Country.

And it repeatedly guaranteed that it would absolutely not implement such a radical army reform plan on the front lines of its confrontation with NATO.

The White House, considering the rapid rise of the Long Country Army, which even exceeded Pretty Country’s expectations and control, wanted to use the Soviet Union to suppress Long Country.

So after careful consideration, the White House acquiesced to the Soviet Union’s military plan.

It merely condemned the Soviet Union a few times at the United Nations for the global panic caused by its ‘Tsar Bomb’ test, and did not take any substantive countermeasures or sanctions against it.

The purpose of the White House’s actions was to force Long Country to become dependent on Pretty Country for nuclear strategy and national security.

So that it would be obedient to Pretty Country’s decisions.

But what the Pretty Country President never expected was that the Long Country military not only planned to test a hydrogen bomb, but also designated a military no-go zone in the South Pacific!

Was this to independently conduct nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union?

“What do you think is the strategic reliance for the Long Country military’s strong stance?”

“What new type of ballistic missile have they most recently developed that they are testing in the no-go zone they’ve designated in the South Pacific?”

The Pretty Country President looked at The Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense, the White House National Security Advisor, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and asked.

“The Long Country military currently has in service the Dongfeng-1 short-range ballistic missile, with a range of 600 kilometers!”

“The Dongfeng-2 medium-short-range ballistic missile, with a range of 1300 kilometers, and the Dongfeng-2A with a range of 1800 kilometers!”

“These missiles pose no threat to the Soviet Union and Moscow!”

“The only one that poses some threat to the Soviet Union is the Dongfeng-3 medium-range ballistic missile with a range of 4000 kilometers!”

“The Dongfeng-3 can carry a single nuclear warhead, with an equivalent of about 1 million tons of TNT. If launched from Long Country’s Altay region, it could potentially reach the outskirts of Moscow!”

“However, the Soviet Union military has deployed a large number of air defense units in the border area of Altay. The Dongfeng-3, if launched from that area, would be unable to penetrate the Soviet Union’s air defense network, and its launch site would also be easily detected by the Tu-143!”

“In summary, Long Country’s active weapons pose almost no strategic nuclear threat to the Kremlin!”

The Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense replied.

Due to the rapid rise of the Long Country Army, The Pentagon’s Asia-Pacific Military Strategy Research Office has recently been analyzing the threat levels of Long Country’s various military forces.

Therefore, The Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense, having read the relevant documents, was very familiar with these details.

“Long Country rarely does things without confidence!”

“Since its current capabilities cannot pose a threat to the Soviet Union, does that mean it has new weapons?”

The Pretty Country President said, then looked at the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Due to racial factors, our intelligence penetration into Long Country is very limited, relying mainly on intelligence sharing mechanisms provided by the island of Taiwan.”

“According to their information, what Long Country is most likely to launch into the South Pacific on October 18th is their newly developed Dongfeng-4 long-range ballistic missile!”

“This is a two-stage liquid-fueled missile with a range of 6000 kilometers, employing inertial guidance + stellar correction technology, capable of carrying a 2-megaton nuclear warhead. Its target strike range includes the interior of the Soviet Union and our bases in the Asia-Pacific!”

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency looked down at a document and reported.

“Dongfeng-4?”

“A newly developed long-range ballistic missile with a range of 6000 kilometers?”

The Pretty Country President showed a slight smile.

“A weapon with this range could indeed pose a slight threat to Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union!”

“No wonder the Long Country military is so tough, daring to confront a superpower!”

Then, he added.

“It can only theoretically threaten the interior of the Soviet Union, as a 6000-kilometer range still means it needs to be launched from border regions!”

“As long as it’s launched from border regions, it will be very difficult to avoid detection by the Soviet Union military, and interception during the missile’s ascent and mid-course phases!”

“The Long Country military lacks MIRV technology, making it difficult to penetrate the Soviet Union’s air defense network!”

The Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense, having learned the technical parameters of the Dongfeng-4, briefly analyzed it for everyone.

In his eyes, the threat this missile posed to Soviet Union was simply too limited.

“However, no matter what, Long Country will at least be able to pose some nuclear threat to the Kremlin!”

“This can force the Kremlin and the Soviet Union Ministry of Defense to deploy military forces in Siberia and the Eastern Theater, alleviating our strategic pressure on the Eastern European front!”

“Oh, and we can preemptively disseminate the news that Long Country is about to test-launch the Dongfeng-4, along with its technical parameters!”

“Long Country wants to establish its authority with its newly developed Dongfeng-4 long-range ballistic missile, but we shouldn’t let them succeed so easily…”

The Pretty Country President issued the order.

After successfully instigating a confrontation between the Soviet Union and Long Country, their goal was an offshore balancing strategy!

To recuperate during this time!

According to The Pentagon’s analysis, even if Long Country were given another twenty years, it would likely not have the capability to pose a strategic nuclear threat to Pretty Country.

...October 17th, afternoon.

The Pretty Country’s Washington Post, the Soviet Union’s Pravda, the British Empire’s London Daily, the Gallic Rooster’s AFP, and many other international media outlets suddenly received anonymous submissions simultaneously.

The content of the submissions was about Long Country’s imminent test launch of the Dongfeng-4 long-range ballistic missile.

And also some related technical parameters of the Dongfeng-4 missile.

After receiving this anonymous message, these major international media outlets, after a brief verification, immediately reported the news truthfully!

For a time, the world was in an uproar!

Eyes from countries all over the world simultaneously turned to the East!

No country had ever imagined that such a major leak would occur in the Long Country military regarding such a significant strategic event!

Now, before Long Country had even launched it, the new Dongfeng-4 missile was exposed!

For Long Country’s strategic plan, it was undoubtedly a major blow!

Even the Soviet Union’s Pravda urgently published a special commentary on this:

“Who can be scared by a ‘toy missile’ with a 6000-kilometer range?”

Directly escalating the tension between the two countries to the maximum!