Nuclear weapons on Micras

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It is interesting to note that, in the recorded history of Micras, the use of atomic and thermonuclear weapons has only occurred in circumstances where a government has felt compelled to either eradicate or suppress its own population. The two most salient examples of this practice are the Babkhan Holocaust of 1598 AN, which had a lasting impact on the population and ecology of the Euran continent, and the Obedience Destruction carried out by Jingdao against its own restive population centres in 1631 AN. To date there has not been a single recorded instance of an inter-state nuclear exchange. That the nuclear threshold was not reached or exceeded, even during system-wide conflicts such as the War of Lost Brothers, might best be understood as being a consequence of a widespread understanding of the irrevocable and disruptive nature of atomic warfare - with the fate of Babkha being perhaps the starkest warning to the existing nuclear powers of the present era in this regards.

That systemic warfare has persisted in spite of the existence of nuclear weapons, alongside a myriad of other biological, chemical, orbital, and radiological weapons of mass destruction, is perhaps a testimony to the enduring utility and efficacy of the application of armed force in the realms of politics and diplomacy and the settling of human affairs.

Declared nuclear powers

Estimated or declared stockpiles

Overview of nuclear states and their capacities
Country Number of warheads (Deployed)
Benacian Union Benacian Union 1,107 (196)[1]
Floria Floria 600 (150)
Shireroth Shireroth
  • Fission devices: approx. 300
  • Fusion devices: approx. 200[2]
  • Matter-antimatter collision devices: 2
Taktwinkel Taktwinkel 1 (1) [3]

History of development and use

Nuclear disarmament

Informed by the experiences of the Scouring during the Second Elwynnese Civil War, the position of the Benacian Union was that atomic, nuclear, and antimatter weaponry ought to be decommissioned at the earliest opportunity, so as to avoid the recurrence of calamities such as the Babkhan Holocaust or the Obedience Machine destruction which blighted Jingdao. Nonetheless, the Union-State, recognising the need to retain an independent deterrence in the absence of an agreement on multilateral nuclear disarmament, maintained the minimum deployed force necessary for its defence and security needs. Although not confirmed, it is believed that the Benacian Union has eschewed the use of a so-called first or preemptive strike in its strategic warfare doctrine.

Notes

  1. ^ M1708 special munition, compatible with S-3 Schlächter and UG-09M cruise missile, reported to have a variable yield of 0.5 to 15 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 to 62.8 TJ).
  2. ^ Purportedly loaned by Natopian Defense Force under the SANE treaty prior to the Kalirion Fracture. Status unknown.
  3. ^ Kuckucksuhranium 1, atomic bomb disguised as a cuckoo clock, will explode at 12 o'clock if the spring mechanism is wound up. Expected yield 5 kilotonnes of TNT (20.9 TJ).