Even the State of the Union doesnt put all the players in the Line of Succession in the same room, block or even in DC. There is an Office of Protocol within USSS that is specifically assigned to manage this. Its constantly being monitored. Cabinet Officers will be run amock near and far in a musical chairs act just to keep in line with the PSA. The only ballet that is more capable than monitoring the human factor in this process, is the act involved in distributing the 'Football'. And that part is so secret no one really has any idea whats involved.
The sub has nothing without a launch ordered by an Executive Authorization. However if a launch order is recieved it would be possible to not go through with it. It is a two man rule but, they have to have an order to authenticate. They cant even get the system unlocked to turn the keys until there is an order.
Conversely, unlike presented in this movie, the Sub will likely not have much of a clue as to what is going on in the world in order to sympathetically react. All ships other than SSBNs can recieve AFRTS Messages, which are like conglomerate wire service, including the AP, Reuters, Stars and Stipes, ESPN and FSN. They dont want boomers to be able to recieve these the very same reason. Unlike the movie, SSBNs dont really sortie for global emergencies, they are already at sea in accordance to a Deterrent Plan. When a SSBN sets to sea on a Deterrent Patrol, from the time they submerge when leaving Georgia or Washington they do not surface until they return from said deterrent patrol. An example of the 'Black Out' that occurs with a boomer going on patrol: A female acquaintence of mine married a Squid on a Boomer. On one patrol that began in February of 2003, her hubby did not find out that we invaded Iraq until their homecoming in May. They didnt have a clue. They knew who won the NCAA BBall Tourney, they had baseball scores, they even had emails from home. Email of course being filtered first through the Squadron at base, scrubbed, then sent out to the Boat.
I am the motherf&*%in Shore Patrol As^&*%#!
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michaelnewman01
12 years ago
The only place I've ever heard of that system is with the UK. Each time a Prime Minister takes office, he supposedly hand writes letters to his nuclear missile submarine captain, called Letters of Last Resort. In those letters, he may or may not authorize independent launch.
As for American subs, you need an outside order. That's about as in-depth as I'm going.
"You feel the way the boat moves? The sunlight on your skin? That’s real. Life is wonderful."
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raf-33
12 years ago
I've heard about the Letters of Last Resort from a documentary, each Prime Minister basically decides at the beginning of a term that if a breakdown in communication occurs between the state and the submarines whether or not the commanders can act of their own free will.
Quite a scary prospect, but even more so for Russians since that's where our nukes are usuaully pointed, so 'Nuclear Power X' blows up London and we fire on the Russians, haha.
Opinions are just onions with pi in them.
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