The end of the Cold War in late 1991 decreased the threat of nuclear warfare, but it did not diminish it completely. The mission of U.S. forces was to deter a nuclear attack on the United States or its vital interests and to convince hostile nations that procuring a nuclear advantage would be futile. In order to do this, the U.S. had to maintain nuclear forces and be able to efficiently prepare and execute nuclear missions if the international environment became hostile.
This report examines the procedures for targeting and effects data for the employment of nuclear weapons. It is meant to set forth doctrine and select joint tactics, techniques and procedures for detailed planning and execution of nuclear missions.
“The target-oriented method is used to select a weapon based on the characteristics of the acquired target, the desired effects on the target, the delivery errors, and the limiting requirements. The target-oriented method is used for acquired priority targets when the information about the target is sufficient to do an analysis. In general, the weapons that optimize effects while satisfying the limiting requirements will be selected.” (p II-3)
This report was released to the Nautilus Institute under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).