Sometimes, It’s Better Just to Laugh

Cheerful senior people with food containers at beach

“The Intern”

“The Intern” takes a humorous look at a real question: what happens when a government’s nuclear chain of command breaks down?

Bibliographic Notes

Nuclear Authority

In many countries, only a very few individuals would be involved in the decision to use nuclear weapons. For example in the U.S., the President is the sole authority for launching nuclear weapons. Assuming the order is lawful, the President requires no permission from any other person or branch of government. This burden of sole authority is passed through the regular US presidential line of succession. Should the President become incapacitated then the Vice President would be next in line, followed in order by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and so on. 

It is extremely unlikely that an intern would be the only available successor, but it is worth understanding who is in line for the nuclear launch codes and to consider how decision-making could be compromised, for example, during a pandemic when multiple decision-makers could be incapacitated.  During the recent COVID pandemic, a US President and many of the country’s military top decision-makers were infected by the virus and had to enter isolated quarantine. The pandemic may have also affected the capacity of personnel further down the organizational chain, for example at isolated, underground missile silos.

A White House military aide carries the nuclear "football" as he leaves the White House on the presidential helicopter.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 19: A White House military aide carries the nuclear “football” as he leaves the White House March 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are traveling to New Hampshire where the president is scheduled to deliver remarks about the onging opioids crisis at Manchester Community College. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Nuclear Decision Process

Prior to any nuclear launch decision, the President can consult with their advisors and lawyers. However, there is no requirement that the President do so, as the final decision is theirs alone. The order must survive two-person verification to be transmitted successfully. It is a common misconception that two-person verification is required to approve the launch order. This process does not substantively review the decision to launch or the reasons behind it. Two-person verification simply ensures that the order came from the president themself, or their acting successor. The US Department of Defense verifies the identity of the President and then sends the order onto the nuclear triad. The nuclear triad refers to the land-based, submarine, and bomber platforms used to deploy nuclear weapons. 

The order that goes out is approximately “the length of a tweet” and begins a cascade of events for five land-based crews and at least one submarine crew. The land-based and submarine crews begin their own verification process which confirms that the “sealed-authentication system” codes match the ones which came from the Department of Defense order. They enter these codes into the system to retrieve the launch keys and unlock the missiles. When the land based crews turn the key, the crews transmit a “vote” to initiate the launch. The system must receive two of these “votes” to initiate the launch. Once again, this verification system is not to confirm the validity of an attack. It is to guarantee that even if a few of the launch crews are unwilling or unable to vote, for a variety of reasons, that the nuclear launch still takes place. This verification mechanism actually prevents the nuclear launch from being stopped and only takes two minutes. Submarine missile launch when the captain, executive officer, and two crew members authenticate the order within fifteen minutes of its arrival. Once these missiles are launched, they cannot be recalled or disarmed. 

Sources: