CNBC explains 'What Happens If There’s A Nuclear Attack' and 'The Big Business of Nuclear Weapons Manufacturing'

I commented on the danger of the international situation in Seth Meyers takes closer looks at the State of the Union and Russian invasion of Ukraine last month.

As for Vladimir Putin making nuclear threats, that's why I wrote "Here's to the Russian invasion of Ukraine not spiraling out of control to prevent next year's parade from happening" yesterday. It's also not how I want him to be the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Since I would be remiss as a doomer blogger in not examining the topic, especially when it's timely, I'm sharing CNBC's What Happens If There’s A Nuclear Attack.

Nearly 70% of Americans surveyed by the American Psychological Association said they worry the invasion of Ukraine could potentially lead to nuclear war and they fear that we could be at the beginning stages of World War III.

Researchers estimate there are about 12,700 nuclear weapons spread between nine countries, with the United States and Russia holding the majority, but experts consider an attack to be unlikely. Watch the video above to learn how a nuclear attack could play out.

All of this is horrifying, but it's not news to me. My interest in events that could cause the end of civilization began when I was eleven or so years old when I started reading about nuclear war and nuclear weapons. Macabre, but learning about it made me less anxious, as I could use my knowledge as a source of power over my fears. That's still true, as it's one of the reasons I blog about possible causes of collapse and decline as well as ways to forestall them. They are still frightening and fascinating and knowing about them gives me a sense of control, however illusory.

The first video showed Alejandra Munoz of PAX mentioning that the nuclear states are still spending money updating their arsenals. CNBC followed up on that in The Big Business of Nuclear Weapons Manufacturing.

Defense companies secure billions of dollars every year from government contracts to maintain and construct nuclear weapons. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the U.S. government could spend $634 billion between 2021–2030 on nuclear forces. Many of these companies like Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have seen a rise in stock prices amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Watch the video above to learn about the companies profiting off of nuclear weapons and how the investor community feels about it.

This video reminded me that my father worked for aerospace and defense companies during most of my youth, so I benefited for spending for weapons growing up. The company that he worked for the longest, Litton Industries, no longer exists as an independent company but is now split between Northrop Grumman and Huntington Ingalls, both of which CNBC mentioned in their video, particularly Northrop Grumman. My father actually started off working in the Ingalls Shipbuilding division before moving to Litton Guidance and Control, now part of Northrop Grumman, so his legacy lives on in two companies.

Enough nostalgia. I have work to do, as final exams began yesterday. Stay tuned for a retrospective tomorrow on Throwback Thursday.