[jabits]

I’ve oftened wondered that over the years. Maybe that’s why the young ones are usually on the front lines. Another related possibly more difficult, is how many of us would have turned the key without prior world tensions occurring. Before each alert we received a pre-departure briefing on current world conditions. I think an out-of-the-blue order would have been very difficult… We periodically lost a crew member due to internal personal changes with respect to one’s willingness to follow through. One of my early Commanders pulled himself off and left the service to become a Greek Orthodox priest and is still at it today.

[squigz]

Are there procedures in place for if the person in charge of a launch center decides not to launch?

[implements]

(Not speaking for the actual expert) - I think I read that missiles require two separate Launch Control Facilities (LCF) to turn keys for immediate launch, but will eventually launch after a (classified) delay if just one does (unless vetoed by other LCFs in the same group).

[jabits]

This is roughly correct. In addition to the immediate ground launch crew votes (in reality a squadron is 5 launch centers, i.e. capsules, all interconnected to a total of 50 missiles, and as stated two launch control centers need to successfully “vote”), there is always an airborne launch control center flying over ready to provide a second vote after a specific time-out period. In fact one of our primary nuclear safety and control concerns was to keep refreshing the ALCC access timer.

[implements]

Thanks. I did wonder what the launch veto system was actually for? - working from the assumption that it would be procedurally impossible for a crew to successfully vote for a launch without receiving the correct authorisation codes from an external source first. (I guess it suggested to me that a rogue launch could technically happen, but given any system can go wrong (machinery or operators) perhaps it just made sense to have as many inhibitory safety systems as possible).

[dmd]

Did you not have drills where you weren’t told it was a drill?

[jabits]

No we did not. We were heavily trained and frequently evaluated but never believing it was real in that sense. Things happen in the world for which increased level of readiness occurred, but as the fixed pillar of the Strategic Triad, we were always in a higher state of readiness.