Atomic case

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The systems used by the presidents of the USA , France and Russia to authorize the use of nuclear weapons are referred to as atomic suitcases (also known as nuclear football or "the button") . Secure information on details such as structure and performance is only available to a limited extent due to the top secret classification of the systems.

The atomic case was first introduced in the USA during the Eisenhower administration and was further developed as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis in order to ensure that only the military commander in chief (usually the president) who is legitimized by the constitution can order a nuclear strike.

United States

President Obama and Senator Schumer, 2013. The adjutant with the atomic case is in the far right.

The nuclear suitcase, in the United States primarily as a Nuclear Football , a football or a President's Emergency Satchel ( dt. "Emergency Satchel of the President"), is a specially equipped black briefcase brand Zero Halliburton , which in an emergency from the President of the United States are used can to authorize the use of nuclear weapons. It is intended as a way for the president to establish a location-independent, tap-proof connection to members of the National Security Council far away from the fortified command centers such as the White House , to advise the situation and to be able to issue prompt orders - including for nuclear weapons.

content

  • The " Black Book ", a directory of all nuclear and non-nuclear attack plans that are available according to the applicable US operational plan ( Single Integrated Operational Plan - SIOP , Operations Plan 8044 - OPLAN , see Global Strike ). These range from the use of a single cruise missile to intercontinental nuclear war. The Black Book is created by the United States Strategic Command .
  • The Emergency Action Messages (EAM) - also called " Go Codes " - by means of which the various attack plans contained in the Black Book can be ordered. The EAMs are provided by the National Security Agency .
  • A directory called " Emergency Procedures White House ", which includes instructions and assistance in emergencies of all kinds. It is assumed that this directory lists measures to ensure the continued existence of the government (succession arrangements, emergency powers, etc.), the explanation of the emergency broadcast system and a directory of the locations of safe nuclear bunkers.
  • A tap-proof phone.

Contrary to popular belief, the case does not contain the president's authorization codes , but only the “ go codes ” for various attack options . The “Gold Codes” , which the President uses to identify himself as Commander in Chief to the armed forces in order to be able to authorize any “ Go Codes ”, are worn by the President in the form of a plastic card the size of a credit card (called a “ biscuit ”) on his body .

function

The Nuclear Football is to inform a mobile location center, which allows the president to anywhere in the world and at any time about the situation in case of a substantial threat to national security to go through options in defense as well as any attack plans and necessary instructions for performing of military strikes, including the use of nuclear weapons. According to experts, if the worst comes to the worst , the president, along with the aide responsible for nuclear football , would retire to open the suitcase. The adjutant would then initiate a conference call with the US Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and advise the President in analyzing the situation, and explain any plans of attack based on the " black book " for the President. Corresponding instructions ( " Go Codes ") would then after the president using his personal authorization code ( " Gold codes has identified"), to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in the National Military Command Center (NMCC) passed and from this to the executing officers. Only the president can order the use of nuclear weapons.

The " Nuclear Football " is worn by one of the five (one for each branch of the armed forces ) aides to the President, who is always in the immediate vicinity of the President while he is outside the White House. The adjutants are officers of the US military of American grade O-4 (equivalent to NATO rank code OF-3 or major ) or higher. All aides have passed the most comprehensive security clearance in the United States ( Yankee White ) and are always armed.

history

The current form of nuclear football is a consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis . President Kennedy was very concerned that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had the opportunity to authorize a nuclear attack without the President being informed. Furthermore, if the communications systems had broken down, the president would not have been able to order a nuclear strike. Therefore, all command and communication systems have been combined in "Football". The basis for the restructuring is a National Security Action Memorandum , which provides for an activation device for nuclear weapons.

Incidents

On November 9, 2017, a major incident occurred in Beijing when US President Donald Trump was visiting China. The aide who carried the suitcase was denied entry to the People's Hall by Chinese security forces while Trump was already in the building. There was a brief scuffle. US security guards then beat down a Chinese security guard. The Chinese side later apologized for the incident.

Russia

President Putin Receives a Cheget on Taking Office (December 31, 1999)

The Russian counterpart to American nuclear football is called Tscheget ( Russian Чегет ). One Cheget each is assigned to the President and, presumably, to the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff, and is used by them to authorize a nuclear strike by the Russian Federation . There are no reliable sources on the specific authorization process in the run-up to a nuclear strike. It is considered possible that a nuclear strike can be ordered not only by the president, but also, in the event of a crisis, by any of the suspected Tscheget users single-handedly.

The Tschegets are part of the Kazbek system and have an interface to the Kawkas system. The Tschegets serve as mobile communication and command stations for the presumed three commanders-in-chief via the nuclear arsenal, the Kazbek system as the communication and command distribution system for all strategic military units, and the Kawkas system as a highly secure communication system for the political leadership.

history

Starting with the military communication and command distribution system Kazbek , a new infrastructure for the control of nuclear weapons was created in the Soviet Union in the early 1980s . The Tschegets, which complement the system, were first put into service in 1984 under the head of state and party leader Andropov, in order to enable the commanders-in-chief to have access to the Kazbek system from anywhere. In the 1990s, the Kawkas system was added, which was supposed to connect the entire political leadership of Russia and, if necessary, that of the remaining nuclear powers of the former Soviet Union in a highly secure communications network.

As a supplement to the authorization by the commanders-in-chief, the dead-hand system was created in the 1980s, which was intended to ensure a fully or semi-automated nuclear counter-attack in the event that all command centers were destroyed. Its current readiness for action is unclear.

Others

In films and series such as Salt , 24 or The Attack , the form and function of "football" is usually exaggerated fictionally and depicted far from established facts.

literature

Documentary film

Web links

Wiktionary: Atomkoffer  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Komsomolskaya Pravda: First Nuclear Briefcase Appeared in USA under Eisenhower . English.pravda.ru. March 26, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ Michael Evans: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: A Political Perspective After 40 Years . www.gwu.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  3. ^ National Command Authority
  4. ^ John Pike: US atomic case in the Smithsonian Institute . Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  5. ↑ SIOP target list of the USA
  6. ^ A b Bill Gulley, Mary Ellen Reese: Breaking Cover. Simon and Schuster, New York 1980, ISBN 0-671-24548-1 . OCLC 6304331
  7. ↑ `` SIOP and Nuclear Warfare Planning '' . Docs.google.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  8. ↑ JITC . Jitc.fhu.disa.mil. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  9. ^ Ashton B. Carter: Command and Control of Nuclear War. Preventive Defense Project, Harvard & Stanford Universities.
  10. ^ World-Wide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS), Department of Defense Directive 5100.30. (PDF; 435 kB) December 2, 1971
  11. ↑ DoD Instruction 5210.87; November 30, 1998
  12. ↑ National Security Action Memorandum No. 272 Safety Rules for Nuclear Weapons Systems . www.archives.gov. November 13, 1963. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  13. ^ Scramble over Trump's atomic suitcase in Beijing. Die Welt , February 19, 2018, accessed on October 21, 2018 .
  14. ^ Changing Nuclear Command . Findarticles.com. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  15. ^ George H. Quester: The nuclear challenge in Russia and the new states of Eurasia . ME Sharpe, Armonk, NY 1995, ISBN 1-56324-362-8 , pp. 85 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  16. ↑ a b Russian Defense: Kavkaz, Perimeter, and 'Dead Hand' . Russiandefpolicy.wordpress.com. March 26, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  17. ↑ Interviews . Gwu.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  18. ↑ Summary of Interview (PDF; 222 kB) gwu.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  19. ↑ Summary of Interview (PDF; 4.0 MB) gwu.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  20. ↑ available as DVD ( Region 1 , UPC 733961736571)