Nuke Expert Claims Russia Would Target Missouri 1st in a Conflict

I've read this research and reread it and still am having a hard time understanding why this would be true, but a nuclear strategy expert claims that in a conflict with America, Russia would target Missouri first.

I just came across this new ranking by World Population Review which reveals the nuclear targets by state for 2024. If you live in Missouri, you might want to sit down for this. They say that Stephen I. Schwartz, Director of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project, listed the order of targets that Russia would prioritize if it were to engage America. #1 on the list is Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Yes, the home of the stealth bombers in Missouri would likely (according to Mr. Schwartz) be struck even before Washington, D.C. The next 3 priority targets would be command and control centers in Nebraska (Offutt Air Force Base) along with Hawaii and Maine. The hit list also includes New York City and Miami, but population centers would be targets after the places that America houses its weapons and forces in.

Missouri is even listed as a target before NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colorado which is remarkable to me.

Perhaps I've read too many Tom Clancy novels in my life, but I always thought I had an understanding of the potential danger zones in America if the worst-case scenario happens with Russia. I have always known that Whiteman would be a priority because of the stealth bomber presence there, but I figured that the middle of America would be in the top 50 targets in a nuclear war, but never did I think it would be #1.

One more thing. I've done some research on Stephen I. Schwartz and he's been sharing papers on nuclear weapons studies and strategies for decades. While I don't necessarily agree with his conclusions, I freely admit that he certainly knows more about this terrifying subject than I do.