By John LaForge
Nukewatch Quarterly Winter 2018-19
While the UN General Assembly moves toward banning nuclear weapons, nuclear-armed states led by the USA continue teaching the unthinkable. Planning and training for thermonuclear mass destruction is done at the Defense Nuclear Weapons School on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Two courses are illustrative:
1) “Theater Nuclear Operations.” Synopsis: The Theater Nuclear Operations Course (TNOC) is a 4.5-day course that provides training for planners, support staff, targeteers, and staff nuclear planners for joint operations and targeting. The course provides an overview of nuclear weapon design, capabilities, and effects as well as US nuclear policy, and joint nuclear doctrine….
Objectives:
• Understand both US and NATO Nuclear Policy
• Understand the US nuclear planning and execution process…
• Understand the targeting effects of nuclear weapon employment…
• Apply the Theater Nuclear Planning process as part of an end-of-course [end-of-world?] exercise. Course Classification: TOP SECRET//RESTRICTED DATA.
2) “Integrated Munitions Effects Assessment-2” Synopsis: A 5-day course that provides … proficiency in importing and creating target models, developing attack plans using conventional or nuclear weapons, performing consequence assessment to WMD [weapons of mass destruction] scenarios….
Objectives:
• Import, edit, and modify target sites…
• Calculate probabilistic attacks…
• Develop attack plans using … nuclear weapons
• Defend… estimates of attack plan options. Course Classification: SECRET.
—See all the course offerings at Air Force Nuclear College, at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency: and dtra.kirtland.J10.mbx.dnwsregistrar@mail.mil
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