What does it take for the US to launch a nuke?
does it take an act of congress with the president or can the president just nuke another country?
I'm all for nuking muslims btw.
Launch authority stems from the civilian chain of command, POTUS, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The "football" mechanisms are still in place. Radio traffic consisting of a careful series of codes and response codes are all that are necessary to authenticate a proper launch order.
I recommend you google "SAC" and "NORAD," or rent "WarGames" and "By Dawn's Early Light."