Joe Biden. Nuclear launch codes transfer

During the last inauguration of the US president, the procedure for transferring nuclear codes turned out to be somewhat more complicated than during the last change of power.

Articles on the topic: Weapons, self-defense, science and technology

The reason for this is Donald Trump’s decision to skip the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Because of this, the nuclear suitcase (“nuclear football”), which allows the president to give the command to launch a nuclear weapon, was in two places at the same time.

The transfer of the nuclear suitcase of the United States Joe Biden
At noon on Wednesday, January 20, Biden was sworn in as President of the United States. From now on, Biden has the exclusive authority to launch the U.S. arsenal of 1,750 nuclear warheads located around the world. Only Biden can order the use of nuclear weapons to destroy a threat to the United States or respond to a surprise nuclear attack.

In previous years, the transfer of nuclear powers took place quietly behind the scenes at the inauguration itself. After the new president is sworn in, one of his military aides takes a “football” — a black suitcase containing the equipment needed to launch a nuclear weapon — from the former president’s military aide. The procedure takes only a moment. The briefcase is known as the “football” because it was originally intended to initiate a nuclear strike plan called the “Dropkick”.

However, this year is different. Trump was absent from Biden’s inauguration, and for the first time in 152 years, the outgoing president did not hand over the post personally to his successor.

For this reason, this year there will be two sets of footballs: one at the inauguration in Washington, and the second, which is in Trump’s possession, CNN reports.

What’s in the nuclear briefcase?

The “football” contains a secure cell phone provided by the National Security Agency. Separately, the President is also issued a laminated card, known as a “biscuit” with an authentication code printed on it. In an emergency, the president dials the National Military Command Center (NMCC) at the Pentagon, reads the identification code to confirm his identity, and then explains which strike option (for example, “counterstrike on Russia” or” preemptive strike on Iran”) he or she wants to perform.

As soon as the authorized personnel verify the authenticity of the code, and the Secretary of Defense confirms the authenticity of the command, the nuclear bombs will be launched.

This process should be fast and efficient, and the launch should be carried out within five minutes after the president picks up the phone. This is done to prevent a so — called “decapitation strike” — a scenario in which an incoming nuclear attack can destroy the chain of command before orders for a counterattack are given.

The transfer of the nuclear code

The US military has prepared different “biscuits” for Trump and for Biden. The authentication codes held by President Trump are valid until 11: 59: 59 a.m. on January 20. At noon, the Trump codes expire and the Biden codes take effect.

The principle of operation of the nuclear briefcase is a legacy of the Cold War. Many experts are calling on Biden to reform the launch system, for example, so that the use of nuclear weapons requires the permission of two people.