Comment Re:It is not a ballistic missile (Score 1) 189
Probably not accurate. It is likely that the booster is an existing rocket that is also used as an ICBM. ICBM now means any long-range rocket with a nuclear warhead. It is also possible to do a terminal intercept of a reentry vehicle. Just because it is in the atmosphere does not mean that it can not or should not be intercepted. It is possible to do so. You can destroy one without it having any nuclear yield or a very small yield. Depending on how high up you take it out it could be good enough. For instance if you caused a 1kt yield at 10,000 meters over a city it would not cause much harm Even if you caused a 1kt yield at 200 meters it would be a lot better than a 2MT yield over a population center.
The issue is the shorter time between warning and impact. You are going from 30 minutes to possibly less than 10. That gives no time to launch bombers or even move command to a safe location.
The US did test two hypersonic reentry vehicles in the 1960s X-23 Prime and ASSET both could have been weaponized but it would have meant smaller or fewer warheads and since at the time there were no practical means to intercept ICBMs It was not seen as a good idea since the shorter warning could make things less stable. I do not get Putin/s choices right now. The US has not updated our ICBM force or SLBM force in a long time. We are still using Minuteman IIs and D5s.
The B-52 force is not on alert and the ALCM is old. The B-2 is also not on alert and I am sure that they have people near the B-2 base that will make a call if they take off at once and all the families run like heck for the hills. Plus we have President Donald Chicken Trump that is in fear and aww of Putin and frankly just about every other world leader with a spine. Unless he is going to try to make a move on Poland or the Baltic states he has no real need to be boosting his nuclear forces.