tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post1824118807475735115..comments2023-10-22T11:51:25.683-04:00Comments on Rightmyer Rants: The Nuclear FootballAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15334812243182354729noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post-48039794642458857642009-01-26T22:29:00.000-05:002009-01-26T22:29:00.000-05:00Your comment about the existence of the nuclear fo...Your comment about the existence of the nuclear football seems to support the idea that you don't know much about this country, its role in the world, and the power it has used for many years to maintain peace, freedom and democracy....yu would have know about the nuclear football. Or maybe you choose to be ignorant as you look over the rainbow for the "perfect" world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post-79953320672568217092009-01-21T20:10:00.000-05:002009-01-21T20:10:00.000-05:00No worries... I didn't know what in the heck it wa...No worries... I didn't know what in the heck it was either LOL!Lizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17287009610983409250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post-56550262860351353002009-01-19T08:10:00.000-05:002009-01-19T08:10:00.000-05:00Cool! Thanks for the info!Cool! Thanks for the info!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15334812243182354729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post-84048337139181769042009-01-18T22:22:00.000-05:002009-01-18T22:22:00.000-05:00Not scary at all really, a credible and credibly m...Not scary at all really, a credible and credibly managed nucelar deterrent helps to keep things sane. Actually the President's Emergency Satchel (its official name) is a modified Halliburton "Zero" aluminum case fitted with a black leather cover.<BR/><BR/>The case contains a secure SAT phone, the SIOP (you can google this), and other documents relating to Presidential transfer of power. The President's personal authentication codes ("Gold Codes") are printed on a card encased in a plastic sheath which is nicknamed the 'biscuit', typically carried on his person. They are used to authenticate the President's identity to the National Military Command Center (and other appropriate elements in the nuclear chain of command). He does not use the case to actually 'launch' a strike. <BR/><BR/>Even if a somehow deranged or disloyal President were to break open the "biscuit" and read the codes (the "Gold Codes" are a sequence of letters and numbers) to someone (over the phone, let's say) the information would be useless. The codes are actually in place to personally and positively identify POTUS when he needs to transmit release orders (in his role as the National Command Authority). The communication must occur via a special hyper secure channel and even then the two-man rule applies as well; the National Command Authority comprising the President and Secretary of Defense must jointly issue the order to use nuclear weapons to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<BR/><BR/>You just don't call the NMCC with a cell phone and read the codes to the officer on duty and say "OK dude ! Nuke North Korea!"<BR/><BR/>In the event the NCA decides to order a nuclear strike, he would have to transmit not only the codes but also the "Attack Options" which are the specific orders for attacks on specific targets. The Attack Options are contained in the Single Integrated Operation Plan and include Major Attack Options (MAOs), Selected Attack Options (SAOs), and Limited Attack Options (LAOs). <BR/><BR/>Even if the codes were compromised, the National Security Agency, which is responsible for producing the codes that change every day, has procedures in place to address the contingency.<BR/><BR/>One more thing, it isn't just land based ICBM's which are controlled this way. All US nuclear weapons are subject to the same stringent command and control including nuclear weapons carried by B-52 and B-2 aircraft, and Trident missiles carried by US Navy submarines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34581898769967859.post-49217811881324065482009-01-18T16:26:00.000-05:002009-01-18T16:26:00.000-05:00never knew there was such a thing. Rather scary ac...never knew there was such a thing. Rather scary actually..Lisa Brawnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05779694642006224752noreply@blogger.com