The Pentagon document laying out the US doctrine of nuclear operations was publicly available for about a week, then made 'official use only.' What's inside is a chilling reminder that Washington sees nuclear war as winnable.

"Nuclear Operations," or Joint Publication 3-72, was dated on June 11 and made private since, but not before it was downloaded by Steven Aftergood, an activist at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). It is currently available on the FAS website as a PDF.

The publication "provides fundamental principles and guidance to plan, execute, and assess nuclear operations." The rest of it is in the same matter-of-fact tone, even when discussing practical consideration of potentially world-ending weapons.