March 19, 2026, 10:10 a.m. ET
If less than 1% of the nuclear weapons in the world were used, it could disrupt the global climate and threaten as many as 2 billion people with starvation, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
It’s these sorts of figures that make the prospect of atomic warfare so terrifying to people. This is compounded by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock being set at 85 seconds to midnight plus wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Where would a nuclear attack most likely happen in the US?
World Population Review recently put together a map of nuclear targets. Several cities were included: Philadelphia, New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, Houston, Chicago, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Washington D.C. There were also multiple facilities listed:
- Colorado: NORAD and Peterson Space Force Base
- Georgia: Kings Bay Naval Base
- Hawaii: VLF Transmitter Lualualei
- Louisiana: Barksdale Air Force Base
- Montana: Malmstrom Air Force Base
- Missouri: Whiteman Air Force Base
- New Mexico: Kirtland Air Force Base Albuquerque
- North Dakota: Minot Air Force Base
- Nebraska: U.S. Strategic Command, and Offutt Air Force Base
- Pennsylvania: Raven Rock Mountain Complex
- Texas: Pantex Plant
- Utah: Hill Air Fore Base
- Virginia: The Pentagon, and Naval Station Norfolk
- Washington: Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, and Naval Base Kitsap
- Wyoming: F.E. Warren Air Force Base
Why is Georgia on the nuclear target list?
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, located in Camden County near St. Marys, is home to ballistic missile submarines. Facilities that house submarines or aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons are generally considered high-value military targets in strategic defense planning.
What types of sites are considered strategic targets?
According to defense analysts and nuclear policy researchers, potential first-strike targets typically include:
- Bases that store or deploy nuclear missiles
- Submarine and air bases capable of launching nuclear weapons
- Command-and-control centers responsible for military communication
- Storage depots for nuclear munitions
The reasoning is rooted in deterrence strategy. Disabling an opponent’s ability to respond would theoretically limit their capacity to retaliate.
Nuclear war supply items
As reported by The Express, the European Commission has a list of recommended supplies to stockpile in preparation for war and similar emergency situations:
- Bottled water and potable water filters
- Non-perishable food and energy bars
- Flashlights and backup batteries
- Fire-starting tools
- Cash
- First-aid kit
- Warm clothing and shelter equipment
- Multi-tool or survival knife
- Communication devices like radios
- Important identification documents
- Navigation tools like a compass and maps
Nuclear fallout map simulator
After a nuclear explosion, a mushroom cloud forms, then disperses into a plume of radioactive dirt, dust and debris known as fallout. Unshielded exposure to 1,200 rads would prove lethal — and two rads prompts a widespread evacuation, according to the EPA.
Over two years at Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, Sebastien Philippe and his fellow researchers have studied the consequences of nuclear fallout from an attack. Head to their interactive “Under the Nuclear Cloud” map, where you can put in your ZIP code to see your risk of radiation exposure in the event of a concerted nuclear attack on U.S. missile silos.
Why did Trump bomb Iran?
“Operation Epic Fury” unfurled on Feb. 28 when the U.S. launched strikes against Iran, while Israel first launched the operation as “Roaring Lion.” The Trump Administration listed several reasons for launching its attack on Iran, bombing over 1,000 targets at the start:
- Destroying Iran’s missile capabilities;
- Preventing Iran from building or rebuilding nuclear weapons;
- “Annihilating” the Iranian Navy;
- Ensuring the Iranian regime cannot arm, fund and direct terrorist armies out their borders
Can Iran bomb the US? Does Iran have nuclear weapons?
Iran reportedly does not have nuclear weapons, although President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address on Feb. 24 that Iran was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.” Experts and diplomats, however, told the Wall Street Journal that little evidence exists that Iran could build missiles that reach the U.S. in the near future.
In June, the U.S. and Israel struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites. Since then, there’s been “no enrichment” taking place, experts claim, with “no credible indications” of a structured nuclear program in Iran.
USA Today Connect reporters Vanessa Countryman and Lori Comstock contributed to this article.
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.