Austrasia and Weapons of Mass Destruction

History
Exploration of civil nuclear technology began in Austrasia in the 1940s but it was not until 1956 following observations of nuclear developments in Modrovia and Tiperyn that the development of an Austrasian nuclear arsenal was commenced. Sunsequently by 1960 the program had been upgraded to a top national priority. With the covert assistance of Gardarike the first Austrasian nuclear device was detonated in 1966 and the first thermonuclear device in 1969. Through the 1970s and 1980s Austrasia maintained a small nuclear stockpile but committed to an aggressive testing schedule, working to perfect a range of nuclear technologies. This work bore fruit in the late 80s when a major expansion of its arsenal began.

Posture
Since the 1980's Austrasia has committed, publicly and privately, to a flexible response strategy. Austrasia is prepared to use nuclear weapons first to protect the integrity of Riche as a sovereign nation-state; the dominant view of Austrasian strategists is that in the 21st-century nuclear weapons have replaced mass mobilization of men and industry as the highest form of total warfare and that a struggle for survival between nations will invariably involve nuclear weapons - conventional warfare, while still a major threat, no longer will decide the fate of powerful nations.

Consistent with its doctrine Austrasia maintains an exceptionally large arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons which can be employed on land, in the air and at sea.

Secrecy
Austrasia maintains a very high level of secrecy around its nuclear weapons program. Though it has publicly acknowledged the existence of its stockpile, its basic posture and some of its activities, only that information which has been publicly released by the Senate may be accessed or disseminated publicly. It is a serious crime in Austrasia to disseminate information in any form about nuclear devices, nuclear facilities, military units with atomic missions, nuclear delivery vehicles or the identities of anyone associated with such things. It is a capital crime to release such information. Aside from its clandestine relationship with Gardarike the Austrasian nuclear weapons program is completely sovereign, Austrasia does not share technology or materials with foreign states - except through espionage - and exchanges only limited data on its capabilities.