Aftermath of a Nuclear Attack: A Case Study on Post-strike OperationsAmong the weapons of mass destruction invented so far, nuclear weapons remain unique, not only due to the large-scale destruction they can inflict almost instantaneously, but also due to the insidious and long-term threat they pose to humanity. In spite of being in existence for such a long time, some of the facets of nuclear weapons, especially their immediate and long-term effects remain an enigma for most people. This book is an attempt to demystify some of these aspects and effects of nuclear weapons, so that our civil and military defence planners have a reasonable idea about the scale and magnitude of disaster that will follow a nuclear attack. As a natural corollary, it then examines the type and nature of post-attack disaster management operations that may have to be launched following a counter-value strike. The study also dwells on the various problems associated with the conduct of military operations in a radiologically contaminated environment, with a view to derive viable and technically sound working parameters. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Existing Studies and Models for Damage Estimation | 9 |
Damage from Effects of Blast | 17 |
Damage from Effects of Thermal Radiation | 23 |
Damage from Residual Nuclear Radiation including Nuclear Fallout | 35 |
Yield Estimation and Locating Ground Zero | 42 |
Introduction | 51 |
New Delhi and | 78 |
Common terms and phrases
50 kiloton air burst armed forces blast effects border cal/cm² capability Centre China cities civil defence cloud combat Command conflict consequent management contaminated areas counter-force strikes counter-force targeting counter-value targets crisis damage assessment damage estimation decontamination degree burns Delhi deterrence disaster management dose rate evacuation fission gamma rays height of burst Hence Hiroshima Hiroshima and Nagasaki India Indian Army kilometres kiloton kmph large number located low air burst major megaton metres military missile monitoring Mumbai Nagasaki NBC equipment NDMA NDRF Neutron Bomb nuclear attack nuclear explosion nuclear fallout nuclear radiation nuclear warfare nuclear weapons Pakistan parameters percent personnel casualties plans population density possible radiation exposure radioactive radiological survey rads Rajasthan S&R teams scenarios Slant Range specialist NBC units strategic surface or low Table tactical nuclear strikes task Tehsil territory thermal radiation threat troops vehicles vulnerability wind speed yield Zone