How PALS Help Secure Nuclear Weapons

Hugh Pickens writes "The BBC reported last week that until 1998 no code or dual key system was required to arm British nuclear weapons. Bombs were armed by inserting a bicycle lock key (video) into the arming switch and turning it 90 degrees. Permissive Action Links (PALs) were introduced in the 1960s in America to prevent a mad General or pilot launching a nuclear war on their own and to control nuclear weapons that were at least partially controlled by other nations but as late as 1974, when an armed quarrel broke out between two members of NATO, Greece and Turkey, the Secretary of Defense learned that many tactical nukes were still not equipped with PALS. It has been reported that PALs have been installed on Pakistan's nuclear weapons to disarm or disable their triggering mechanism if the wrong code is entered or if the bomb is tampered with in any manner."

Comments

If you REALLY want to be safe

[HalAtWork]

If you REALLY want to be safe, just don't have bombs. Sure, some other country can have some and threaten us with them, but they'll be the tyrants, not us, and I'm sure when their citizens see how their government acts, they will be scared of them and not trust them or be happy themselves. We just have to take that risk if we really believe in freedom, which includes believing in the freedom of others and not being a possible looming threat to others. People look at North Korea and react by thinking "OMG, that nut could nuke us at any time!", is that how we (as people, in any country) should want to be seen? When people go to war, it's not actually the citizens, most often it's an extremist (whether they be politician or vigilante or whatever), because war is an extreme "solution". It's not really a solution, it's just an end. An end to whatever argument to get it over with and to start the aftermath already. Having bombs on standby does not really help anyone, it just increases the chance of everyone killing each other.

Re:If you REALLY want to be safe

[MrKaos]

Actually, quite the opposite, it dramatically decreases the chances that bombs will be used.

Oh really? How so? Seems to be bombs want to be used as much as information wants to be free. And with the scope of an accidental launch triggering AT BEST a limited exchange (perhaps between pakistan and india) how is the M.A.D scenario even relevant anymore. Your saying with Pakistan now suspended from the commonwealth and under martial law, there is no scope for a terrorist organisation to seize control of ONE silo and see what they can do, what if they pitched one at the states and russia? Do you think that four minutes would be enough time for "dubya" to decide "oh - it's not really russia attacking us" at four o'clock in the morning - puuuuleeezz.

The U.S is the only country to use a nuclear weapon in war, and in fact, invented the nuclear bomb. You lost the right to use the "defending yourself" argument a long time ago and what freedom are you defending? the right to choose pepsi over coke? Your "freedom" was lost once your countries participation in elections fell below 50% (and is now lower than 20%), your freedom is a manipulated at best and an illusion at worst.

And the nerve of you to say "A county is threatening us with nuclear weapons" when right at this moment you are conducting an in-theatre nuclear war for the second time in Iraq with Depleted Uranium (D.U) munitions that make your own soldiers mysteriously sick. Clinton had the opportunity to disarm Russia in the '90's, all he had to do was put Yeltzin's drunken hand on a peice of paper.

I don't blame the U.S citizen's because they have been manipulated by government and corporations that are no longer under the control of the people. If you want to defend freedom why don't you start encouraging people to vote. The scope for a weapons grade accident is something we have already been too close to. You may be willing to stake everyones children's life on that, but I'm not!

It's Simple

[hyades1]

The Brits don't need all that security stuff on their A-Bombs. They keep their madmen out of government and the armed forces. In America, they promote them.