US doomsday plane

[Daywolf]

Originally Posted by maskedmelon [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Interesting. So, US nuclear submarines rely on an airplane flying around to retaliate in the event of a nuclear strike. I didn't know this ^^ Sounds brilliant!

Well in general. You can't get specifics as this is all top secret, but it's well known this aircraft supports submarines in this way, among other nuclear forces. Obviously they try to keep some level of redundancy.

But yes as for how subs work, haven't you ever seen that movie Crimson Tide?
https://youtu.be/aHMER1h4BNU
Not that it's a true story, it's a propaganda movie. But at the end of the movie, it does site one truth: "As of January 1996, primary authority and ability to fire nuclear missiles will no longer reside with U.S. submarine commanders.... Principal control will reside with the president of the United States."

U.S. protocol is secret, but naval experts say American boomers can launch missiles only if they receive launch codes from the president or a designated alternative, because the U.S. doesn’t envision a nuclear attack in which it couldn’t communicate with at least one of its 14 boomers. http://www.wsj.com/articles/when-sub...ads-1414166741

I don't think it's smart at all. In fact in a lot of ways, it actually gives more power to a single man without any possible stops in the line to prevent it. Did you know that often in war, most soldiers actually fire over the heads of enemy soldiers rather than firing directly at them? Historically so, but more so conditioned out of soldiers in recent decades compared to past wars. The monkey in the back leaping up and down on the button is the guy to worry about.