In the theory of nuclear warfare, a decapitation strike is a first strike attack that aims to remove the command and control mechanisms of an opponent, in the hope that it will severely degrade or destroy its capacity for nuclear retaliation.
Strategies against decapitation strikes include:
- Distributed command and control structures.
- Dispersal of political and military leadership in times of tension.
- Delegation of launch capability to local commanders in the event of a decapitation strike.
- Distributed and diverse launch mechanisms.
A failed decapitation strike carries the risk of immediate, massive retaliation by the targeted opponent. Many countries with nuclear weapons specifically plan to prevent decapitation strikes by employing second strike capabilities. Such countries may have mobile land-based launch, sea launch, air launch, and underground launch facilities so that a nuclear launch on one area of the country will not totally negate its ability to retaliate.
Other nuclear warfare doctrines explicitly exclude decapitation strikes on the basis that it is better to preserve the adversary's command and control structures so that a single authority remains that is capable of negotiating a surrender or ceasefire.
Implementing fail-deadly mechanisms can be a way to deter decapitation strikes and respond to successful decapitation strikes.
Read more about Decapitation Strike: Non-nuclear Use, In Fiction
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