Yes, I understand that correctly. You can have credible existance of counter attack ability for MAD, but it can still be irrational to counter-attack once one side drops a nuke.
It’s not just capacity to counter-strike, but willingness to do so.
This is a whole game theory thing that was developed in could war.
To be willing to kill millions even if it was pointless is part of the game: the enemy must be completely and absolutely convinced that a counter strike will happen. This is the only way to deter.
Absolute and complete certainty cannot be faked (given spies). It can only be provided if indeed the willingness to counter attack is real and enforced.
It's 1-part reinforcing MAD and 1-part guaranteed revenge.
Simply by existing it rules out any kind of first strike at all.
No matter which targets you hit (you can't destroy all the nukes, that is essentially impossible), even if Moscow is a glass crater and you successfully hit every nuclear command bunker this thing is still going to wipe you out.
Yes, all this does is end humanity - but the threat needs to be there to avoid the first strike in the first place and the contract is if you hit us with a nuke you are going to burn with us.
