The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is a measure of the activation and readiness level of the United States Armed Forces The United States armed forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War. The Army, Marine Corps, and Navy were commissioned in 1775, in anticipation of the. It describes progressive postures for use between the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States. The JCS is defined by statute and consists of a Chairman and Vice Chairman appointed by the President, and the Chiefs of service from each of the four major branches of the military and the commanders of unified commands. DEFCONs are matched to the situations of military severity. Standard peacetime protocol is DEFCON 5, descending in increasingly severe situations. DEFCON 1 represents expectation of actual imminent attack, and is not known to have ever been declared. During the Cold War The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension, and competition that existed after World War II. On one side were the Soviet Union and its satellites, and on the other were the powers of the Western world under the leadership of the United States. The Cold War began in the mid-1940s and lasted into the early 1990s. Throughout this, DEFCON 1 was feared because it would most likely precede an all-out nuclear war.
In a national state of emergency A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties. Such declarations usually come during a time of, seven different alert conditions An alert state is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a State against terrorism or military attack known as LERTCONs can be issued. They consist of five Defense Conditions and two Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs).
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Levels
- DEFCON 5
- This is the condition used to designate normal peacetime military readiness. An upgrade in military preparedness is typically made by the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States. The JCS is defined by statute and consists of a Chairman and Vice Chairman appointed by the President, and the Chiefs of service from each of the four major branches of the military and announced by the United States Secretary of Defense The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and military matters. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries. The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for.
- DEFCON 4
- This refers to normal, increased intelligence and the heightening of national security measures.
- DEFCON 3
- This refers to an increase to force readiness above normal. Radio call signs used by American forces change to currently classified call signs.
- DEFCON 2
- This refers to a further increase in force readiness just below maximum readiness. The most notable time it was declared was during the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba in October 1962, during the Cold War. In Russia, it is termed the "Caribbean Crisis" , while in Cuba it is called the "October Crisis." The Cuban and Soviet governments decided in September 1962 to place nuclear missiles on Cuba, although the declaration was limited to Strategic Air Command The Strategic Air Command was both a major command in the United States Air Force and a "specified command" in the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strategic nuclear arsenal from 19. It is not certain how many times this level of readiness has been reached.
- DEFCON 1
- This refers to maximum readiness. It is not certain whether this has ever been used, but it is reserved for imminent or ongoing attack on US military forces or US territory by a foreign military power.
History
Cold War
The highest alert condition the US military The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War. The Army, Marine Corps, and Navy were commissioned in 1775, in anticipation of the has been confirmed to have been at was DEFCON 2. During the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba in October 1962, during the Cold War. In Russia, it is termed the "Caribbean Crisis" , while in Cuba it is called the "October Crisis." The Cuban and Soviet governments decided in September 1962 to place nuclear missiles on Cuba on October 22 October 22 is the 295th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 70 days remaining until the end of the year, 1962 Year 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, the US Armed Forces were ordered to DEFCON 3. On October 23, Strategic Air Command The Strategic Air Command was both a major command in the United States Air Force and a "specified command" in the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strategic nuclear arsenal from 19 (SAC) was ordered to DEFCON 2, while the rest of the US military remained at DEFCON 3. SAC remained at DEFCON 2 until November 15 November 15 is the 319th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 46 days remaining until the end of the year.[1]
For much of the Cold War, US ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a long-range ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery, that is, delivering one or more nuclear warheads. Due to their great range and firepower, in an all-out nuclear war, submarine and land-based ICBMs would carry most of the destructive force, with nuclear-armed bombers sites were at DEFCON 4 rather than 5.
Yom Kippur War
Higher alert conditions were also ordered during the 1973 Yom Kippur War Badr – Ofira – 1st Hermon – Marsa Talamat – Valley of Tears – Latakia – Baltim – Sinai – Mansoura – Chinese Farm – 2nd Hermon – Suez . While the US military was technically at DEFCON 3 status during the Yom Kippur War, in certain theaters it operated under DEFCON 2 conditions as a show-of-force to repel Soviet naval vessels from entering the Bosporus Strait.[1]
September 11th Attacks
The third time the United States reached DEFCON 3 was during the September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing.[2]
Operations
The DEFCON level is controlled primarily by the President The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition. The President leads the executive branch of the federal government and is one of only two nationally-elected federal officers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States. The JCS is defined by statute and consists of a Chairman and Vice Chairman appointed by the President, and the Chiefs of service from each of the four major branches of the military, and each DEFCON level defines specific security, activation and response scenarios for the troops in question.
Different branches of the armed forces (like the Army The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services. The modern Army has its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on 14 June 1775, before the establishment of the, Navy The United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft. The U.S. Navy is the largest in, Air Force The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed) and different bases or command groups can be activated at different defense conditions.
See also
- Homeland Security Advisory System In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System is a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. The different levels trigger specific actions by federal agencies and state and local governments, and they affect the level of security at some airports and other public facilities. It is often called the "terror alert level" by
- REDCON - Readiness Condition levels for US military combat units.
- Alert state An alert state is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a State against terrorism or military attack
- FPCON
- BIKINI state - UK equivalent.
- Vigipirate - French equivalent.
References
External links
Categories: Alert measurement systems Categories: Military communications | Warning systems
Dennis.Fisher
ue, 16 Jun 2009 17:21:43 GM
Digital Underground podcast with Dennis Fisher - June 16, 2009 In this episode, Dennis Fisher talks with Jeff Moss, the founder of . DEFCON. and Black Hat, about the history of the shows, the Michael Lynn-Cisco incident and the evolution ...
