launch on warning
발사즉시보복(경보 발사)
Launch on warning is a nuclear strategy in which retaliatory forces are launched after early-warning systems detect an enemy attack but before the incoming warheads detonate. It aims to preserve a second-strike capability by firing before missiles can destroy ground-based forces, but it greatly increases the danger that a false alarm will trigger nuclear war.
In depth
As intercontinental ballistic missiles shortened warning times, nuclear powers faced a choice between launching on warning and absorbing an attack before retaliating. The concept is tied to the crisis-stability problems of mutually assured destruction, and the Soviet Oko false alarm of 1983 showed how much such a posture depends on human judgment and corroboration from multiple warning layers.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (defines launch-on-warning as retaliatory nuclear launch after warning, before detonation, and situates it in Cold War ICBM strategy)
- Wikipedia (RU) (describes the Soviet Oko false alarm, the warning chain, and the decision context)
- nsarchive.gwu.edu (National Security Archive briefing on launch-on-warning policy, its adoption, and the danger of false alerts)