President: ok, hit this military base with 100 soldiers to let them know we’re serious
Million-inhabitants city nearby: burns to the ground due to garbage guidance
President: …dig out the plan for world war 3, I guess.
Million-inhabitants city nearby: burns to the ground due to garbage guidance
President: …dig out the plan for world war 3, I guess.
Nobody would fire a warning shot using an ICBM, because if things are hot enough to require a warning shot, that leaves a whole lot of interpretation up to your adversary who is quite likely to respond with their own ICBMs, before finding out yours were loaded with conventional munitions to make a point.
There are however, shorter range ballistic missiles, Russia has a lot of them (the US mostly gave up mid range ballistic missiles in a nuclear treaty) and has even launched a few with concrete "nuclear warhead simulation masses" at Ukraine.