Posted on 08/11/2017 2:58:50 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If President Donald Trump decided to authorize the use of nuclear weapons in a military conflict with North Korea, a possibility he has left open amid escalating tensions, it appears there’s little that could stop him.
The prospect of a nuclear flashpoint comes after a war of words between Trump and the North Korean government, with the president warning this week of “fire and fury” against Pyongyang if it continued making threats, and North Korea subsequently threatening an attack on the U.S. territory of Guam. Trump on Thursday suggested that his initial statement may not have been tough enough, and tweeted Friday that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” should North Korean “act unwisely.”
Despite Trump’s bellicose rhetoric, diplomatic options are still available. And it’s far from certain that he would ever actually give an order for a nuclear strike.
But if he did, there’s little legally or procedurally to block him. While details of the process for launching a nuclear attack are largely kept secret, the delegation of authority is clear.
“There’s no veto once the president has ordered a strike,” Franklin Miller, who worked in the White House and Pentagon on nuclear issues, told the New York Times last year. “The president and only the president has the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons.”
The military employees charged with executing the president’s order could, theoretically, refuse to carry out the president’s order, but would risk a court martial, according to Michael O’Hanlon, a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution.....
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
On August 11, 1984, Ronald Reagan said, “we begin bombing in five minutes.”
A similar comment by Trump today, August 11, making fun of the left's paranoia, would be appropriate.
Congress can declare war, but they do not command the forces. Trump can make them do anything he wants. Congress’ only recourse is impeachment.
So, the prez can say “Fire” and two officers on each sub/boat insert their keys, liftoff, the little man is gone! There's your 3.
the mother of their bomb
I believe the base commander can authorize the launch under Wing Attack Plan R.
Love, Stanley K.
But seriously, I know it is only fiction however Tom Clancy paid attention to detail ... does it not take two people with the go codes to authorize a first strike? Rules are different for retaliation.
I hope this explaination is simple enough as I can tend to convolute things:
A Minuteman squadron has five Launch Control Centers, LCCs, connected together via underground cables. Each LCC commands ten Minuteman missiles connected via underground cables, thus having 50 missiles in each squadron and each LCC can "see" all 50 missiles even though they are responsible for only ten.
Inside each LCC there are two launch officers. For an individual LCC to send out a launch order (vote) both officers have to turn their individual keys at the same time. This sends out one launch "vote." The missiles will not launch unless they see two votes, thus two of the five squadron LCCs have to turn their keys so as to give the two votes needed to launch. This makes it so at least four officers, two in each of two LCCs have to turn their keys.
Yes. If I was President and a General in the chain refused to execute the order, I would draw my personal weapon and shoot him myself.
At the top of the chain of command, the strategic level, it takes only one person.
As you go down the chain, to the operational level, you add a second person.
Did 3 years in Cold War SAC. The old SIOP with all of its supporting plans, procedures, etc. I never encountered a third person at the operational level.
Like most BUFF navigators I grew up real fast when I had to perform the weapons preflight/acceptance checks on a locked and cocked alert aircraft.
I think you need to rethink your post.
We, the US, haven’t had a declaration of war since Dec 8, 1942. I guess no Congress critter wanted to stand up on his hind feet and vote for/against a true war. BTW I think that is why most combat aircrew in SEA, 1962 - 1973, called themselves “Yankee Air Pirates” because, according to international law, that is what we were. Four tours to SEA during the end of that military action.
In nuclear war your reaction times will be greatly compressed. You could be looking at 20 minutes, or less, from threat identification to impact of first nuclear weapon. No time to get Congress Critters involved.
IMHO it is very good that we having this discussion now. If things go to hell in a handbasket there will be no time to discuss options. Been near that condition once and it was scary has hell for that is what we were looking at that day in both the short and long term.
Having a fascination with such things, I’ve done some research into what it would require to launch a nuclear attack. First, the President does have sole authority to do so. If he decides to, he calls over the person with the nuclear ‘football’, the case is opened, and the president selects what kind of attack he wishes to do. Now, the order does have to be verified by the Secretary of Defense, but the SECDEF does NOT have the power to veto the order. The order must also be verified through the National Military Command Center. It is then sent over the Gold Phone do the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then transmitted to Strike Command at Offut Air Force Base in Omaha Nebraska. After that, it’s distributed to the various missile sites or to the submarines that carry our seaborne nuclear missile systems.
Even "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" McPain quisles (new word) about how Trump is too hawkish with the little devil.
Do you know how the LCCs would receive the signal? It seems like they also would have to use a technology that can't be disrupted by EMP.
According to the Senate website, there were the following declarations of war after December 8th, 1941, when we declared war on Japan:
December 11th, 1941: Germany, Italy
June 4th, 1942: Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania
The Wikipedia article on the War Powers Resolution has an interesting discussion of the powers of the president and Congress to involve the US in armed conflict.
They have several communication systems that can be used to received the orders. EMP has been accounted for.
Thanks for the education. One of the great things about FR is the depth of our educational bench! I always learn something here!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.