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

Bicycle lock key

[Anonymous Coward]

So, in other words, the British nukes could have been armed by anyone possessing a Bic pen.

Re:If you REALLY want to be safe

[d2_m_viant]

What a bunch of nonsense. A county is threatening us with nuclear weapons, and our salvation rests in the fact that their citizenry isn't "happy" with their government? How the hell is that going to save American lives? You may be willing to stake your children's life on that, but I'm not.

We just have to take that risk if we really believe in freedom

No, we don't. Since when are "freedom" and "defending yourself" mutually exclusive terms? The most important figures in our country's history have been willing to fight and die for what they believed in, not the least of which was the notion of being free.

Having bombs on standby does not really help anyone, it just increases the chance of everyone killing each other.

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