Op-Center and DefCon5

Menachem Bazian, CPA

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Jan 20, 1995, 9:33:07 AM1/20/95

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Just curious. In Op-Center, Tom says that in one particular alert
situation, the US would "go to DefCon 5" (I am being circumspect
not to spoil anything).

Aren't we "always" at Defcon 5? isn't Defcon 5 the lowest Defense
Condition readiness status?

Jerry Ennis

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Jan 24, 1995, 6:01:34 PM1/24/95

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>Clark Martin (cma...@rahul.net) wrote:
>: In article <3fujck$h...@news.ycc.yale.edu>, ape...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
>: (viele Seelen) wrote:
>
>: > Fernando Paredes (par...@cloudburst.seas.ucla.edu) wrote:
>: >
>: > : on a similar note, does anybody know what DefCon level the U.S. was in
>: > : during the cuban missile crisis? it was a bit before my time, and i
don't
>: > : think i've ever heard what was the D level... just wondering...
>: >
>: > from what I know, we've never been to DefCon1...
>
>: Pretty sure we were at DefCon 2 at the worst of Cuban Missle Crisis.
>
From _Eyeball to Eyeball_ by Dino Brugioni, p. 366
"At 7 pm Washington time on October 22, the Pentagon placed the entire U.S.
military establishment on Defcon 3, an increased state of alert."
page 398, "October 24 was also a day of tension and battle orders for the U.S.
military. The Joint Chiefs of Staff issued Defcon 2..."
^^^^^^^^
_On the Brink_ by James G. Blight & Dwight A. Welch has the same Defcons and
dates (pages 379 and 381 [Chronology]), as does _Refelctions on the Cuban
Missile Crisis_ by Raymond Garthoff (pages 37, 109, 124, and 142n).

Menachem Bazian, CPA

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Jan 30, 1995, 7:02:18 PM1/30/95

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In article <macmain-2501...@d43.net.interaccess.com>,
mac...@interaccess.com wrote:
> In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.950123161716.24807C-100000@planetx>,

> Schearerererererer <mjs...@planetx.bloomu.edu> wrote:
>
>
> > > Aren't we "always" at Defcon 5? isn't Defcon 5 the lowest Defense
> > > Condition readiness status?
>
>

> From UASF days during 62-65, DEFCON 5 was the least prepared and
> progressed down to Defcon 1 which was damn near war. eg when JFK got shot
> DEFCON went from 4 to 3 in a flash.

All this leads me back to the question. If DefCon 5 is peace, isn't the
reference in Op Center to the plan in the event of hanky panky by the North
Koreans in error?

According to the book, they would "Go to DefCon 5".

Am I missing something? Perhaps TC could jump in here and explain it...

Menachem

Shel T. Randall

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Feb 5, 1995, 4:45:10 PM2/5/95

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So what about all the numbers in between?

Richard D Manning

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Feb 10, 1995, 11:34:24 AM2/10/95

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This is my guess on the actual status of the military at this point, beyond
what was mentioned above--what happens as regards normal operations. Remember,
this is a best guess, so corrections are welcome.

Defcon 5: normal peacetime operations
Defcon 4: slightly heightened readiness--no leaves are cancelled, but new ones
aren't approved, strategic forces are given warnings to be ready to
go on alert any time
Defcon 3: This time, leaves ARE cancelled, and all strategic forces on PR duty
(i.e., bombers at airshows) are recalled to their bases. At this
point, all US forces get warnings to be ready for an alert, and a
NEACP is probably kept on 10-minute standby at Andrews around the
clock--the 10 minutes being the time required to get the President to
Andrews by helicopter.
Defcon 2: Strategic forces go on hair-trigger alert--the bombers are kept on
instant standby status, as would be the NEACP, around the clock, all
that's needed is to start the engines. All boomers would likely be
ordered to leave port immediately, and we'd probably have a force of
bombers in the air at all times (just in case). At this point, the
EBS would probably be activated to give the public instructions on
what to do if this escalates any further. The hotline would probably
be running continuously, too. The Veep is in the air at all times,
in one of the backup NEACPs.
Defcon 1: All that's needed is the Presidential launch order. The old SAC
scrambles EVERYTHING--bombers and tankers--and the President is moved
either to the national command bunker under some mountain in Virgina
(forgot the name), or is put into the air in the NEACP. All US
forces are on alert, worldwide, and the EBS goes off again, this time
to get the people to get ready for an attack. Strategic forces are
at fail-safe points--the bombers already in the air orbit at the
famous-from-the-movie fail-safe points on the way to their targets,
boomers go to launch depth, and forces near hostile borders fully
deploy from base. (As I recall, ICBM crews operate on a 12 on/12 off
schedule, one man always awake. If I'm right, then the other man was
probably awakened at Defcon 2...)
The Presidential EAM launch order is given: The sirens go off. Kiss your butt
goodbye.

(Somehow, this .sig seems appropriate...)
-------
"This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test.
Had this been an actual emergency, you'd be writhing on the ground in
unspeakable agony, bleeding from every orifice, with your blackened skin
falling away in ragged strips."

RM

Richard D Manning

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Feb 10, 1995, 11:36:21 AM2/10/95

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In article <3hekvl$o...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, pher...@superdec.uni.uiuc.edu (Wotan) writes:

|> C.Boo...@student.lut.ac.uk (C.Booth-94) writes:
|>
|> >Defcon 1 - War is about to begin. All US forces are on full alert.

|> I thought defcon1 was an open shooting war, however, who knows how
|> accurate I am....

Almost. The President has not, at Defcon 1, given the launch order yet. In
other words, it's about the situation that was supposed to occur in the movie
FAIL-SAFE when the launch order cancellation was made.

RM