Slashdot Mirror
Launch Command Preserved In Power Failure, But Nuclear Designs Still Risky
With a follow-up to Tuesday's story, Martin Hellman writes "Slashdot reported that a system failure at Warren AFB in Wyoming affected 50 ICBMs and that 'various security protocols built into the missile delivery system, like intrusion alarms and warhead separation alarms, were offline.' Assuaging fears that America's nuclear deterrent might have been compromised during this failure, the source article notes that the missiles still could be launched from airborne command centers. Other reports cite an administration official offering assurances that 'at no time did the president's ability [to launch] decrease.' Given the difficulty of debugging software and hardware that is probably not a good thing. The history of nuclear command and control systems has too many examples of risky designs that favor the ability to launch over the danger of an accidental one."
I see MS windows popping up in more places. E.g. medical devices and I have read about it being in electrical grid control computers. I hope it isn't already in nuke launch centers.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
Everyone likes to pretend that the Cold War didn't happen, and most of the people with the strongest opinions didn't live during it, have never served in the military or had relatives that did during the Cold War. ......
While I understand why, most people under 30 don't fully appreciate the threat of the USSR after WWII...
Threat or perceived threat???
Invasion by the US was the perceived threat by USSR too. Hell, US even put nuclear missiles into Turkey 300 km USSR. When USSR saw similar opportunity in Cuba, US almost started a war by blockading Cuba. After establishment of the Eastern Block and attempt of removing the West Berlin enclave through land blockade, US appears to become the aggressor in the Cold War.
* Bay of Pigs
* Blockade of Cuba
* Chile
* Panama
* Nicaragua
* Vietnam
just to name a few...
USSR has Hungary, Czechoslovakia. Poland was internal to prevent USSR from coming in - success. Those were viewed as "buffer zone" countries. There is a lot less direct intervention in rest of the world.
Anyway, I lived during the end of the Cold War and I have no idea what threat USSR ever was to the US. After MAD was established, the only threat was local. A local "accidental" launch would result in destruction of both sides.