[b]Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.):[/b] This doctrine has been in effect since the 50's. This applies to foreign states and is almost impossible to impose upon terrorist groups that acquire weapons of mass destruction, and use them [u]independently[/u] against the United States or its NATO allies. However if we find that such an attack was either funded or sponsored by a [u]sovereign foreign state[/u], the chances of a counterattack upon that country greatly increase. No U.S. Commander in Chief will respond with NBC weapons without 100% proof of another state's malicious intent. If he/she did, they would be placing the U.S. at an even greater risk by attacking the country that the terrorist group happened to operate out of, if that country's government had no knowledge of or involvement with such an attack. Yes we have responded against states that sponsor terrorism with actions like the Libya air raid in 1986 and others, but these incidents have never involved nuclear weapons. A good hypothetical situation that this discussion would apply to can be found in Tom Clancy's novel "The Sum of All Fears" (Forget the movie and read the book). And by the way, we do retain chemical and biological capability. Across the border in Indiana, there is a VX gas depot not far from where I live in Ohio. As long as the NBC threat is present, the U.S. government will retain the ability to respond to each type of threat. In any case, let us always be prepared to respond and vigilant enough to prevent. When it comes to NBC, remember the former Strategic Air Command's motto: "Peace is Our Profession." But as soon as that "peace" has been compromised by another country's actions, not the actions of [u]independently[/u] operating groups of terror, our response will be grave and swift. Do you really think we would launch ICBM's at Russia and risk World War III if a small faction of terrorists in Russia detonated a low-yield nuclear device in New York City, and did so when the Russian government had no involvement?
EDITED FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS