Counterforce In nuclear strategy , a counterforce target is one that has a military value , such as a launch silo for intercontinental ballistic missile s , an airbase at which nuclear - armed bomber s are stationed , a homeport for ballistic missile submarine s , or a command and control installation . The intent of a counterforce strategy ( i . e . , attacking counterforce targets with nuclear weapons ) is to disarm an adversary by destroying its nuclear weapons before they can be launched , thereby minimizing the impact of a retaliatory second strike . A counterforce target is distinguished from a countervalue target , which includes an adversary ' s population , economic , or political resources . In other words , a counterforce strike is against an adversary ' s military while a countervalue strike is against an adversary ' s cities . Theory . In nuclear warfare , enemy targets are divided into two types : counterforce and countervalue . A counterforce target is an element of the military infrastructure , usually either specific weapons or the bases which support them . A counterforce strike is an attack which targets these elements whilst leaving the civilian infrastructure – the countervalue targets – as undamaged as possible . Countervalue refers to the targeting of an opponent ' s cities and civilian populations . An ideal counterforce attack would kill no civilians . Military attacks are prone to causing collateral damage however , and this is especially true when nuclear weapons are employed . In nuclear terms many military targets are located in proximity to civilian centres , and a major counterforce strike employing even relatively small nuclear warheads against a nation would certainly inflict numerous civilian casualties . Further , the requirement to use ground burst strikes to destroy hardened targets would produce enormously more fallout than the air burst s used to strike countervalue targets ; introducing the possibility that a counterforce strike would cause more civilian casualties — over a medium - term view — than a countervalue strike . Counterforce weapons could be seen to provide more credible deterrence in future conflict by providing options for leaders . One of those options considered by the Soviet Union in the 1970s is basing missiles in orbit . Cold War . Counterforce is a type of attack which was originally proposed during the Cold War . Both sides in the Cold War took steps to protect at least some of their nuclear forces from counter - force attacks . At one point the US kept B - 52 Stratofortress bombers permanently in flight ; these would remain operational after any counter - force strike . Other bombers were kept ready for launch on short notice , allowing them to escape their bases before intercontinental ballistic missile s could destroy them . The deployment of nuclear weapons on ballistic missile submarines changed this equation considerably – submarines launching from positions off the coast would likely destroy airfields before bombers could launch , reducing their ability to survive an attack . Submarines themselves , however , are largely immune from counter - force strikes and both sides fielded many such weapons during the Cold War . A counter - force exchange was one scenario mooted for a possible limited nuclear war . The concept was that one side might launch a counter - force strike against the other ; the victim would recognize the limited nature of the attack and respond in kind , leaving the military capability of both sides largely destroyed . The war might then come to an end because both sides would recognize that any further action would lead to attacks on the civilian population from the remaining nuclear forces – a counter - value strike . Critics of this idea claimed that since even a counter - force strike would kill millions of civilians it is unlikely that escalation to a full - scale counter - value war could be prevented . MIRV ed land - based ICBM s are considered destabilizing because they tend to put a premium on striking first . If , for example , each side has 100 missiles , with 5 warheads each , and further that each side has a 95 percent chance of neutralizing the opponent ' s missiles in their silos by firing 2 warheads at each silo . In this case , the side that strikes first can reduce the enemy ICBM force from 100 missiles to about 5 by firing 40 missiles with 200 warheads , and keeping the rest of 60 missiles in reserve . For such an attack to be successful , the warheads would have to strike their targets prior to the enemy launching a counter - attack . It is because of this that this type of weapon was banned under the START II agreement .