Everywhere the President of the United States goes , they are accompanied by an aide carry what ’s known as the nuclear football game . Unlike your even pigskin , however , this hold the lot of the world within .
Also know as the Presidential Emergency Sachet , the football is in reality a black briefcase hold several items that must be used in lodge to pioneer anuclear strike . Among these is a charge plate card squall the " cookie " , upon which is printed a serial publication of Gold Codes that the commander - in - chief needs to consult when ordinate such an flak - yet these are n’t the same code that in reality cause the missiles to fire .
In the US , the President is the only person with the authority to regularise the exercise of nuclear weapons , but this does n’t signify they have entree to a " atomic button " . Instead , when a master executive wants to evoke anuke , they first have to convene aconferenceof leading military and civilian advisers , all of whom are under orders to ensure that the President ’s demand is in accordance with external humanitarian natural law before comport it out .
As long as no foul is call , the President will then reach the dire atomic football game . Inside is the so - called " Black Book " containing a bill of fare of different strike option , one of which will be selected and communicated to the Pentagon ’s War Room . It ’s at this degree that the Gold Codes come into play .
To control that the purchase order really is coming from the President , a senior War Room police officer will cut a “ challenge code ” , typically comprise of a serial publication of phonetic letters from the military alphabet , such as Papa - Tango . To confirm their identity and authenticate the order , the President must answer using the correspond Gold Code found on the biscuit .
Now the lump really gets rolling . With the strike authorized , the War Room prepares a launch ordering , an encoded subject matter that is send to set up crews on submarines or at land - based centers , bet on which case ofnuclear weaponhas been select for the approach .
This order contains further codesknown assealed - certification arrangement ( SAS ) codes , as well as the combination required to open locked safes at the various launch crew sites . Upon opening these safe , launch crews will find a further hardening of SAS codes , which must couple those in the launch order .
This substance also provide details of the chosen war architectural plan and target to hit . As for the actual codes that unlock the atomic missile , these may be contained within the safe or included in the launching order , depending on which types of weapons are being used and where they are being elicit from .
However , thanks to the so - call two - somebody rule , it is impossible for any individual officer to evoke a atomic warhead on their own . Instead , two weapons hustler must affirm the code and simultaneously turn their key fruit on a controller panel before a projectile can be unlocked .
Once the missile are airborne , though , there ’s no way of echo them , which is why so many certification steps are required for carry out a strike . Ultimately , none of this can happen without the President ’s go - forrader , but it ’s reassuring to know that there ’s no single somebody with their finger on the openhanded red button .
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