Slightly OT: POTUS' "Nuclear Football"

[Raellus]

This seems tangentially-related to T2k.

https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-football-presidential-satchel-war-df3c1e65cfd21f137fd2fc7e7d62ffab

Does the POTUS' "Nuclear Football" make any appearances in T2k canon? Has it ever factored into your T2kU?

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[Skunk]

I always liked the British plan
(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7548367/Cold-War-secrets-reveal-AA-told-PM-Harold-Macmillan-nuclear-strike.html)

[Raellus]

I always liked the British plan
(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7548367/Cold-War-secrets-reveal-AA-told-PM-Harold-Macmillan-nuclear-strike.html)

That's unbelievable!

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[Brit]

Back when I was a Cub Scout we had to carry a two pence piece at all times for if / when we had to make an emergency 'phone call.

(I never had to).

[castlebravo92]

An interesting read is "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner"

For a long time, the PAL code to launch our nukes was set to all 0s and everyone, from the generals down to the key turners, knew the code.

Additionally, the "machine" was primed to fire regardless of an actual order from the POTUS. Many base commanders admitted that they would launch if their bases were attacked and no launch order was forthcoming and comms were down.

Same thing with the bomber crews...let's say they were launched and never got a turnaround order, and comms were lost, they would continue on to their targets and drop their bombs.

Kind of scary considering the US used to send nuclear armed bombers to the edge of Soviet airspace all the time in the 50s and 60s.

[chico20854]

An interesting read is "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner"

For a long time, the PAL code to launch our nukes was set to all 0s and everyone, from the generals down to the key turners, knew the code.

Additionally, the "machine" was primed to fire regardless of an actual order from the POTUS. Many base commanders admitted that they would launch if their bases were attacked and no launch order was forthcoming and comms were down.

Same thing with the bomber crews...let's say they were launched and never got a turnaround order, and comms were lost, they would continue on to their targets and drop their bombs.

Kind of scary considering the US used to send nuclear armed bombers to the edge of Soviet airspace all the time in the 50s and 60s.

The Royal Navy equivalent was that boomer commanders were to stick an antenna above the surface once a day. If they could not pick up the BBC on the radio, they were to assume that the UK had been attacked and therefore were to launch on the Soviet Union.