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To: r9etb
Realy, so if the President said go, the man in the silo could refuse, even though his partner is armed and may have a differant outlook?
26 posted on 01/26/2004 2:15:26 PM PST by eastforker (The color of justice is green,just ask Johny Cochran!)
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To: eastforker
Really, so if the President said go, the man in the silo could refuse, even though his partner is armed and may have a differant outlook?

Heh.

33 posted on 01/26/2004 2:19:45 PM PST by optimistically_conservative (Currently doctor shopping for my FR addiction)
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To: eastforker
Realy, so if the President said go, the man in the silo could refuse, even though his partner is armed and may have a differant outlook?

If the man refusing is willing to die over the issue, it ends there--the whole configuration of the LCC is designed to make it impossible for both keys to be turned by the same guy. (They're too far apart.)

41 posted on 01/26/2004 2:22:58 PM PST by Poohbah ("Beware the fury of a patient man" -- John Dryden)
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To: eastforker
Realy, so if the President said go, the man in the silo could refuse, even though his partner is armed and may have a differant outlook?

Disclaimer: although I know a bunch of former missileers, I am not, nor have ever been one myself.

The way I see it, anyway, a nation's ability to wage war of any sort depends on the willingness of the guys on the pointy end to wage it.

That would be as true in a silo, as on the front lines.

The difference, I think, would be the type of pressure one is under when the time comes. In the case of the guy in the silo, the supposition is that he can overcome the inherent revulsion of sending a missile off that will kill thousands or millions.

The military knows this, BTW, which is why they're pretty careful about who they'll allow to sit at the console. They want to make sure they've got people who, when given the launch order, will actually launch.

46 posted on 01/26/2004 2:26:51 PM PST by r9etb
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