Nuclear briefcase
Encyclopedia
Nuclear briefcase is a specially outfitted briefcase used to authorize the use of nuclear weapons.
, the contents of which is to be used by the President
of the United States of America
to authorize a nuclear attack
while away from fixed command center
s, such as the White House Situation Room
. It functions as a mobile hub in the strategic defense system of the United States.
. It is connected to the special communications system code-named Kavkaz, which "supports communication between senior government officials while they are making the decision whether to use nuclear weapons, and in its own turn is plugged into the special communication system Kazbek, which embraces all the individuals and agencies involved in command and control of the Strategic Nuclear Forces." It is usually assumed, although not known with certainty, that the nuclear briefcases are also issued to the Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation.
, to preclude the possibility that military officers could launch British nuclear weapons without authorization. The present status of such authorisation links again remains secret.
The precise level of individual control by a Prime Minister over a nuclear strike is also uncertain, it is thought the ultimate authority of the attack launch is the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. Former Chief of the Defence Staff (most senior officer of all British armed forces) and Chief of the General Staff (most senior officer in the British Army), General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank
, explained that the highest level of safeguard was against a prime minister ordering a launch without due cause: Lord Guthrie stated that the constitutional structure of the United Kingdom provided some protection against such an occurrence, as while the Prime Minister is the chief executive and so practically commands the armed services, the ultimate commander-in-chief is the Monarch, to whom the Chief of the Defence staff could appeal: "the chief of the defence staff, if he really did think the prime minister had gone mad, would make quite sure that that order was not obeyed... You have to remember that actually prime ministers give direction, they tell the chief of the defence staff what they want, but it's not prime ministers who actually tell a sailor to press a button in the middle of the Atlantic. The armed forces are loyal, and we live in a democracy, but actually their ultimate authority is the Queen."
United States
The Nuclear Football (also called the Atomic Football, Nuclear Lunchbox, President's Emergency Satchel, The Button, The Teal Button, The Black Box, or just The Football) is a black briefcaseBriefcase
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name...
, the contents of which is to be used by the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to authorize a nuclear attack
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
while away from fixed command center
Command center
A command center is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses...
s, such as the White House Situation Room
White House Situation Room
The White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors to monitor and deal...
. It functions as a mobile hub in the strategic defense system of the United States.
Russia
Russian "nuclear briefcase" is code-named ChegetCheget
Cheget is a "nuclear briefcase" and a part of the automatic system for the pinnacle command and control of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces named Kazbek ....
. It is connected to the special communications system code-named Kavkaz, which "supports communication between senior government officials while they are making the decision whether to use nuclear weapons, and in its own turn is plugged into the special communication system Kazbek, which embraces all the individuals and agencies involved in command and control of the Strategic Nuclear Forces." It is usually assumed, although not known with certainty, that the nuclear briefcases are also issued to the Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation.
United Kingdom
The precise details of how a British Prime Minister would authorize a nuclear strike remain secret. However, in declassified reports on the Polaris system, the Prime Minister would send an authentication code which could be verified by the Royal Navy at Northwood. The precise means for doing this away from Downing Street remains secret. The Commander in Chief would then broadcast a firing order to the ballistic missile submarines via the Very Low Frequency radio station at Rugby. Prior to 1997, the UK had not deployed control equipment requiring codes to be sent before weapons can be used, such as the U.S. Permissive Action LinkPermissive Action Link
A Permissive Action Link is a security device for nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized arming or detonation of the nuclear weapon.The United States Department of Defense definition is:...
, to preclude the possibility that military officers could launch British nuclear weapons without authorization. The present status of such authorisation links again remains secret.
The precise level of individual control by a Prime Minister over a nuclear strike is also uncertain, it is thought the ultimate authority of the attack launch is the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. Former Chief of the Defence Staff (most senior officer of all British armed forces) and Chief of the General Staff (most senior officer in the British Army), General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank
Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank
General Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, was Chief of the Defence Staff between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1994 and 1997.-Army career:...
, explained that the highest level of safeguard was against a prime minister ordering a launch without due cause: Lord Guthrie stated that the constitutional structure of the United Kingdom provided some protection against such an occurrence, as while the Prime Minister is the chief executive and so practically commands the armed services, the ultimate commander-in-chief is the Monarch, to whom the Chief of the Defence staff could appeal: "the chief of the defence staff, if he really did think the prime minister had gone mad, would make quite sure that that order was not obeyed... You have to remember that actually prime ministers give direction, they tell the chief of the defence staff what they want, but it's not prime ministers who actually tell a sailor to press a button in the middle of the Atlantic. The armed forces are loyal, and we live in a democracy, but actually their ultimate authority is the Queen."
External links
- Shattered Shield. Cold-War Doctrines Refuse to Die By David Hoffman, Washington Post, March 15, 1998