EMERGCON
Encyclopedia
EMERGCON is a state of readiness that is separate from DEFCON
, or defense readiness condition used by the United States, in that it incorporates civilian measures in addition to the DEFCON military measures.
Generally, EMERGCONs are a state of readiness following an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) attack. Other forces go to DEFCON 1 during EMERGCONs. There are two types of EMERGCONs:
Although the United States military has gone into defense readiness various times (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis
), it has never had a major EMERGCON.
DEFCON
A defense readiness condition is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness for the U.S...
, or defense readiness condition used by the United States, in that it incorporates civilian measures in addition to the DEFCON military measures.
Generally, EMERGCONs are a state of readiness following an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) attack. Other forces go to DEFCON 1 during EMERGCONs. There are two types of EMERGCONs:
- Defense Emergency: A major hostile attack on United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and/or allied forces overseas, and/or an overt action made against the United States. This must be confirmed by a unified commander or higher authority.
- Air Defense Emergency: A major hostile attack by aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
or missileMissileThough a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s seems probable, is imminent, or is taking place on the continental United States, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, or GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. This declaration is made by the Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense CommandNorth American Aerospace Defense CommandNorth American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
(NORAD).
Although the United States military has gone into defense readiness various times (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
), it has never had a major EMERGCON.
See also
- DEFCONDEFCONA defense readiness condition is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness for the U.S...
- LERTCONLERTCONIn United States military doctrine, LERTCON is an abbreviation of Alert Condition, and is a measure of the level of action and readiness to be taken in a given situation. There are specific procedures laid out for responses to changes in LERTCON...
- REDCONREDCONIn the U.S. military, the term REDCON is short for Readiness Condition and is used to refer to a unit's readiness to respond to and engage in combat operations. There are five REDCON levels, as described below in this excerpt from Army Field Manual 71-1....
- Alert stateAlert stateAn alert state is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a State against terrorism or military attack.Examples are the DEFCON levels of the US armed forces, and the British government's UK Threat Levels....
- Information Operations ConditionInformation Operations Condition-Descriptions of INFOCONs:INFOCON is a threat level system in the United States similar to that of FPCON...