People should do thier reading on nuclear weapons.
I'm always open to sggestions.
Al Qieda is described as having backpack nukes.
The CIA describes the nuclear threat as follows
"Improvised Nuclear Device (IND)
An IND is intended to cause a yield-producing nuclear explosion. An IND could consist of diverted nuclear weapon components, a modified nuclear weapon, or indigenous-designed device.
INDs can be categorized into two types: implosion and gun assembled. Unlike RDDs that can be made with almost any radioactive material, INDs require fissile material—highly enriched uranium or plutonium—to produce nuclear yield. "
The CIA ,our first line of defense regarding these threats, is liberal in assessing the nuclear potential of our enemies, not without reason..
For best effect they would take out hoover damn and it would REALLY screw the western plains. What these weapons won't do is bring the US or western civilization to its knees.
From what I've read, the force that is generally associated with a back pack nuke is about 1 kiloton
This is from a Washington times article
The yield, too, is hard to pin down. One former American scientist who worked at the Department of Energy labs said that the "Davy Crocket," which was the small bomb later converted to special operations, had a one-kiloton explosive power and would level the Capitol Building and everything in a half mile radius. It also would spread radioactive waste across a wide area of Washington
That will shut the federal system down for a while, how long I don't know.
It's very plausible to expect a 100,000 dead, especially in a place like Manhattan, the financial center of the world and the USA. A prime target.
Our vital industries and operations are disbursed, therefore, nearly impossible to kill.
I agree. The US government will be severely damaged by any nuke attack, but it's nothing that can't be overcome, thank strategic thinking people for decentralization of information and government in general.