The panel rejects the idea that theater use can be neatly separated from strategic escalation. Britain, France, NATO, India, and Pakistan all illustrate why an attack on military forces can trigger nuclear retaliation rather than remain geographically contained. Tactical weapons also offer limited battlefield effect against dispersed formations relative to the political consequences of using them. War games fail when one side assumes the opponent will accept a destroyed brigade without answering in kind, because repeated retaliation quickly climbs the escalation ladder.
Notable Point · 1:42:43-1:48:18
Why tactical nuclear use does not stay limited
Once either side uses a nuclear weapon, retaliation and domestic pressure make a stable boundary between tactical and strategic nuclear war implausible.