Weapons of Mass Destruction in the North American Socialist Commonwealth
| The North American Socialist Commonwealth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nuclear program restart date | 12. December. 2035 |
| First nuclear weapon test | 11. November. 2048 |
| First fusion weapon test | 11. November. 2048 |
| Last nuclear test | 12. March. 2058 |
| Largest yield test | 10 MT |
| Total tests | 25 |
| Peak stockpile | 31,058 |
| Current stockpile | 31,047 |
| Maximum missile range | 20,000km (land) 15,000km (sea) |
| Cumulative strategic arsenal in megatonnage | 16,000 |
The North American Socialist Commonwealth is a nuclear armed power. It maintains a large stockpile of Strategic, Sub-Strategic, and Tactical Warheads. The Commonwealth first restarted the American nuclear program shortly after the Revolution, with the first test occurring in the seas South of the main Mist Continent late in November in 2048. Currently the Commonwealth maintains an arsenal of slightly more than 31,000 warheads, primarily comprised sub strategic and tactical warheads. The Commonwealth operates under two distinct doctrines for nuclear weapons usage, that govern the usage of strategic and sub strategic weapons.
The Commonwealth is a signatory to some nuclear control treaties, but has not signed any new treaties since 2060. Officially, the Commonwealth doesn't have any chemical or biological weapons, being a signatory to several treaties banning their development and use. The Commonwealth does have possession of several highly destructive computer viruses, which it classifies as Weapons of Mass Destruction, but refuses to acknowledge possession of any weapons aside from the nuclear weapons, and the viruses, though there are rumors of chemical, biological, and more exotic WMDs in the Commonwealth's possession.
History
Nuclear Weapons
After the Revolution, the Commonwealth was saddled with an enormous stockpile of commissioned and decommissioned nuclear weapons left over by the United States Military. The fate of these weapons was intensely debated by Provisional Government during its short tenure whilst writing the Constitution. In the end it was deemed that the existing weapons would have to be decommissioned over time, however the extant nature of several threats to the Revolutionary Republic, allowed the pro-nuclear faction to push for a resolution to discuss the start of a new nuclear program to replace the existing nuclear arsenal with a new one.
The continuing presence of threatening entities during the Commonwealth's first years, through the growing instability surrounding the formation of the European Federation, and the Xi'an Rebellion in the Federal Republic of China, resulted in very early discourse regarding the building of new weapons. The Commonwealth's government did resolve to start a nuclear program in 2035, though the project did not begin in earnest until the middle of 2044, in the prelude to the Northern War. The repeated attacks on the Commonwealth's western shores by Enclave Forces spurred a major push for the funding of the project.
The final prelude to the first tests of new bombs took place shortly after the Opening, as the Commonwealth found itself exposed to several new threats, and new grounds to test on. The first Commonwealther nuclear test was concluded on the 8th of November in 2048, at 15:13. It was a three megaton open air detonation over the South Mystria Sea to test the first of a new generation of thermonuclear devices. The test proved successful and the MT3 warhead was adopted into the service of the Commonwealth Air Force.
Further Tests continued to occur after the annexation of the Veiled Isle and Isla Verde, mostly oceanic tests, but finally transferring underground when the Commonwealth had secured a small island that was the testing area of Air Station Hetairoi. The last nuclear test that the Commonwealth would take part in occurred on 12. March. 2058 at 7:52 at Hetairoi, at which point the Commonwealth was already in preliminary negotiations to stop its testing, the final agreement being ratified two years later in 2060. However, the Commonwealth continued to produce a prodigious number of nuclear weapons to arm the Commonwealth with a sufficiently large stock in case it proved necessary.
Massively Destructive Computer Viruses
Even as early as the 2010s it was apparent that cyber warfare was going to be the most effective means of devastating an economy and defeating a hostile national entity, or indeed many non-state actors. The United States Military began a Massively Destructive Electronic Virus (MADEV) project under the name Operation Lightning Sentinel. Several programs had been written, and possibly underwent field tests during the Sino-American War, though current records on the matter are unavailable and were likely destroyed during the Revolution. Quite a few MADEV programs survived in spite of the destruction of many such files during the Revolution, and fell into the hands of the Provisional Government, and later the Commonwealth.
Naturally, the Commonwealth's government continued research into MADEV technology to not only keep up with advancing technology, but to surpass it, and remain ahead of the curve. Research was conducted in the Vesper military research centers throughout the 2030s and into the 2040s, but was shifted first to Norland in 2048, and then to the Veiled Isle in 2055 when it was deemed that the less computer dependent infrastructures of the Districts would prove more survivable in the event of a catastrophic containment breach. Generally testing was done on fairly substantial closed systems. Given the nature of such research, it is likely that attempts to improve existing MADEV technology continues.
Another particularly key avenue of research is in Commonwealth countermeasures to an opponent's own viruses. In fact, especially in recent years countermeasure research has been the most important form of development in terms of MADEV technology. The Commonwealth has developed countermeasures for each of its own viruses, which would presumably operate on similar or superior technology to what any defeat-able opponent that the Commonwealth may face. Commonwealther researchers have also been working on "speculative counter measures" and "AIphagic viruses and countermeasures" to face projected threats from opponents with levels of technology above the Commonwealther norm.
Deployment
Nuclear Weapons
The Commonwealth maintains a massive nuclear arsenal of tactical (under 200kt), sub-strategic (200kt-1mt), and strategic (greater than 1mt) nuclear weapons. Of the Commonwealth's arsenal of a little more than 31,000 warheads, the vast majority are of either tactical or substrategic, and are generally mounted on smaller more mobile launch platforms, though large missile bases do exist in the Commonwealth. Nuclear Weapons of varying sizes are intended for very different targets and are therefore subject to very different levels of control.
Deployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Tactical nuclear weapons, the smallest in the Commonwealth's arsenal are classified as any weapon with a yield lower than 200 kilotons. These weapons are generally to be mounted in attack submarines, light warships, fighter aircraft, and possibly as artillery shells. Generally targets are small and of tactical importance, and almost exclusively military (examples include fortified positions, large enemy warships and/or fleets, and more unlikely airfields, as well as sufficiently large and concentrated pockets of hostile troops if the opposition force has made use of their own tactical strikes). Generally speaking release authority for tactical warheads rests on the independent commander of the force issued the weapons (not generally lower than Ship or Brigade level command), unnecessary use of such weapons however is considered a crime and punished very harshly if the accused is found guilty.
Deployment of Substrategic Nuclear Weapons
Substrategic nuclear weapons are an intermediary between a tactical nuclear weapon or a full scale strategic nuclear weapon, and are classified as any weapon with a yield between 200 kilotons and 1 megaton. These weapons will be mounted on larger more dedicated platforms (ballistic missile submarines, the largest surface warships, and heavy bombers). Generally targets will be of major logistical and strategic importance (large scale military, transport or production facilities, and the largest of enemy warship fleets), but are generally expected to remain a deterrent only type of weapon. Release authority is allowed at theater level of command (Not lower than Corps level), but subject to strict government oversight.
Deployment of Strategic Nuclear Weapons
Strategic nuclear weapons are the largest in the Commonwealth's arsenal and are classified as any weapon with a force of more than 1 megaton. These weapons are generally only mounted on the largest of bombers and land based silos. Possible targets are of geopolitical importance (in other words major enemy cities), however actually attacking with strategic weapons is not the primary intended use of such large nuclear weapons. Such weapons are almost exclusively a deterrent, intended only to be used in a last ditch use strategic weapons or fall to invasion scenarios. Release authority is permitted only to two persons in the whole of the Commonwealth, the President and the War Minister.
Massively Destructive Computer Viruses
MADEV technology is highly developed in the Commonwealth. As one of the key elements of the Commonwealther Defense Policy, cyber warfare branches of both the State Security Ministry, and the War Ministry are very well funded. In the Commonwealth's possession are several viruses designed to devastate a nation's electronic infrastructure without a single proverbial shot being fired. Overall operational doctrine calls for the use of such viruses in the opening phases of a major war to cripple a nation's economy before the hostilities begin in earnest. The Commonwealth has two classifications of virus the civil MADEV and the military MADEV.
The Civil MADEV is a much simpler construct designed to break into civilian data networks and cause general havoc. Viruses often are oriented around the crashing of networks and infrastructure systems, before replicating itself on other data networks connected to the infected one hopefully spreading to and destroying most of a hostile state's economy before it can be stopped. As any modern economy is essentially reliant upon electronic infrastructure, it is expected that subjecting a hostile state to a virus would bring that state's economy to a grinding halt. Another common type of Civil MADEV is the Spy MADEV, which especially common in State Security. The Spy MADEV is designed simply to steal as much information as is possible before the virus is shut down.
The Military MADEV is one that is specially designed to break through high security military and intelligence networks and cause damage. Like the Civil MADEV the Military MADEV could either be of the destructive or spy varieties. Destructive varieties generally are intended to shut down a specific target often Air Defense, or Naval Defense exercises in preparation for an expeditionary military action. Spy MADEVs are usually deployed before the more destructive ones, generally to gather intelligence about a hostile nation's military technology and electronic defenses so that destructive MADEV can be programmed around a hostile nation's security systems.
Exotic MADEV Technology
The Commonwealth employs more exotic MADEV programs as well as the basic Civil and Military programs. These programs are often speculative in nature intended as a defense against nations with technology greater than that of the Commonwealther norm. That being said, it is a virtually impossible task to determine the technology available to more advanced states, and as a result the Speculative MADEV program has made little headway in producing an effective virus. A more successful program is the AIphage program line intended to deal with a primarily AI based vector of attack. AIphage programs are specifically designed to locate and destroy sapient artificial intelligences to prevent an AI takeover of the Commonwealth.
Other Weapons of Mass Destruction
Officially the Commonwealth does not possess Chemical or Biological agents, being party to several treaties signed banning the possession and deployment of such agents. Several rumors however have been propagated that the Commonwealth is in possession of a limited stockpile of Chemical and Biological agents, however such rumors have been thoroughly and vehemently denied by the War Ministry and the Office of the President. Rumors also exist that the Commonwealth is in possession of nanoweapons for the creation of a "grey goo" event. These rumors have likewise been completely and totally denied.
