This term is used when we refer to nuclear warfare and originated during the cold war. This is the nuclear strategy that both the United States and Russia sought to employ. Many of my younger custom military ring customers may be too young to have heard this term.

Generally the purpose of a first strike is to destroy your opponents nuclear launch and storage facilities before he can hit you back. The first strike is a surprise attack and must be massive and devastating to be effective. The goal is to destroy his retaliation capabilities to the point that if he does manage to get anything off at all his attack will be weakened to the point of being ineffective.

Nuclear submarines were an excellent strike weapons system because they could not be easily targeted. Since you can't get a location on them you can't eliminate them.

Fortunately for all of here at the custom military ring place and for you military ring customers this never happened. I think if nuclear weapons are ever used in the future they will be used selectively to accomplish specific battlefield goals. I sure hope so anyway.