President Donald Trump's "nuclear football" briefcase is one of the most potent possession he has. Inside are the launch codes to the USA's nuclear arsenal that only he has access too.
The President was diagnosed COVID-19 positive and was brought to the Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment. He was sent to a military medical facility close to Washington DC, out of caution for his advanced age at 74, reported The Sun.
Instantly deployed were planes that were active once the chief executive was sick with COVID-19 as part of the protocol.
These planes are two 6B Mercury jets that will be doing the relays to the nuclear command fleet. Should the worst occur, these planes will be part of a chain that launches America's nukes.
A case that can change the world
When Trump defeated Hilary Clinton in 2016, he was given the 45-lb case. From then on, it is always at his side. Inside the leather carrying case is a black book of options for the POTUS to select from. When the choice has been made, a card that is one of kind called The Biscuit will verify and authorize actions.
Even if he is sick with COVID, he can give a single order to fire the nukes. The U.S. has 1,365 nuclear warheads. When armed and fired, it will trigger deaths on scale works than Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
The chain of command, next is the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Pentagon's war room. A set of sealed codes will be given to the US Strategic Command HQ in Offutt Airbase in Nebraska. One last stage is the personnel who will fire the nukes after codes are matched and nuclear follows.
Origins of the protocol started in the Cuban missile crisis during 1962. John Fitzgerald Kennedy commanded all nukes to be locked and want another alternative that using nuclear weapons. To this day, the U.S. keeps it this way.
Ex-Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the term came from a precursor plan that was termed Dropkick. Those who carry the deadly satchel have pistols with a shoot to kill order. Anyone who attempts to get it will be shot. Also, it is changed regularly.
Three of these satchels are possessed by the U.S. government- one is with the President of the United States, one held by his Vice-President, and one is in safekeeping in the White House. Getting COVID, the E-6Bs went to the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) Defense protocol. These E-6Bs are linked to ballistic missile subs, stealth bomber, and silos to relay the commands nationwide.
If command centers on the ground are disabled or destroyed, they are part of Operation Looking Glass as the final resort to launch U.S. warheads. Usually, it would be just one of the jets equipped with a 5-mile long aerial that is flying. Sometimes, two would be airborne as well. Having two and airborne jets simultaneously is unusual for the current situation.
If the POTUS cannot take command, then enemies like China and North Korea will be a concern. But two of the E-6Bs will be up there. With the briefcase in Trump's posession, it shows everything is still okay.
