Ohh then there's all the other damoclean swords, russian bioagents that have no antidotes, those lovely orphaned ships floating around loaded to the brim with the most toxic chemicals known to man, good old fashioned nukes, various highly contgious diseases, or even better the ones with a long enough incubation period to spread via every major airport first and after that you've got the obscure stuff like ion bombs, mass scale emp strikes(image every electronic device in an entire city failing at once, from pacemakers to elevator controls).....

Yet somehow, we're still here.

that actually falls in line with my scenario of a civil war where the gov't and military command structure splits in twain... when the sub surfaces - who do they listen to? my guess is the guy on the other end of the radio, no matter who it is. those are the rules, if someone has the proper procedure and code you do what you are instructed.

Think that depends on the sub commander, what if the guy on the other end goes "this is the command in chief of the rebel forces, surrender your sub containing enough weaponary to wipe us out at the nearest port, whereever that is because we didn't even know you existed."

um, yeah. i don't think if the guy was trying to get them to launch he would use those particular phrases... he would probably mention that the world has gone to shit, and the president, JCS, etc, are ordering ____ action and follow the appropriate procedure.

if someone did however contact them with your message i think the sub commander might ask for his coordinates so the sub can send a sample of it's wares.

Hm, I don't know, it all seems silly until it happens.

I'm off to be but I l'll leave you all with this little gem to lull you to sleep
Enjoy

yep, just like flying planes into buildings.

there have been many books written on the subject but i still think of Steven King's The Stand whenever people start discussing the effect of biological weapons released in public.

of course Clancy had a more real world version of it in Executive Orders, his last book worth reading. IMO

I’ll buy the possibility of horrendous attacks or even catastrophic accidents, but a split military in a civil war? No way. The military will stay with the Commander N Chief. Any rogue units will be vaporized, pronto. The politicians won’t have a say. Gates, Buffet, Waltons, etc., won’t allow their country to be sullied. ;)

you're probably right, but the scenario was actually that some of the top military and government folks attempt a power play. if the right people were to team up on that one they could get a large portion of the military in motion to fight an insurgency. as they are moving into place all the loyal military units would be positioning to prevent and the common soldier only knows that there is some sort of coup that he is trying to stop, while in reality he may be on the side of the aggressors... if done properly, it would take a long time to sort out the peaces and real players can take advantage of confusion.

it is EXTREMELY improbable, but not impossible.

Didn't say can't happen, just wont. :D

well yeah, thankfully. i don't want to take my family to the mountains and live off of MRE's... then again, no stress from work, no bills to pay, no visiting in-laws.... no - i still don't want it to happen.