DEFCON

The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the

United States Armed Forces.[1]

DEFCON levels

The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and
unified and specified combatant commands.[2] It prescribes five graduated
levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military. It increases in
severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match
varying military situations, with DEFCON 1 signalling the outbreak of nuclear
warfare.[1]

DEFCONs are a subsystem of a series of Alert Conditions, or LERTCONs,

which also include Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs).[3]

Operations …

The DEFCON level is controlled primarily by the U.S. president and the U.S.
Secretary of Defense through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
the Combatant Commanders; each level defines specific security, activation
and response scenarios for the personnel in question.

Different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (i.e. U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S.
Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Space Force) and
different bases or command groups can be activated at different defense
conditions. In general, there is no single DEFCON status for the world or
country and it may be set to only include specific geographical areas.
According to Air & Space/Smithsonian, as of 2014, the worldwide DEFCON
level has never been more severe than DEFCON 3. The DEFCON 2 levels in
the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and 1991 Gulf War were not worldwide.

DEFCONs should not be confused with similar systems used by the U.S.
military, such as Force Protection Conditions (FPCONS), Readiness Conditions
(REDCONS), Information Operations Condition (INFOCON) and its future
replacement Cyber Operations Condition (CYBERCON),[4] and Watch
Conditions (WATCHCONS), or the former Homeland Security Advisory System
used by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Levels …

Defense readiness conditions vary between many commands and have

changed over time,[2] and the United States Department of Defense uses
exercise terms when referring to the DEFCON levels during exercises.[5] This
is to preclude the possibility of confusing exercise commands with actual
operational commands.[5] On January 12, 1966, NORAD "proposed the
adoption of the readiness conditions of the JCS system", and information
about the levels was declassified in 2006:[6]

Readiness
Exercise term Description Readiness
condition

Nuclear war is
Maximum readiness.
DEFCON 1 COCKED PISTOL imminent or has
Immediate response.
already started

Armed forces ready

DEFCON Next step to nuclear
FAST PACE to deploy and engage
2 war
in less than six hours

Increase in force
DEFCON readiness above that Air Force ready to
ROUND HOUSE
3 required for normal mobilize in 15 minutes
readiness

Increased intelligence
DEFCON watch and Above normal
DOUBLE TAKE
4 strengthened security readiness
measures

DEFCON Lowest state of

FADE OUT Normal readiness
5 readiness

History …

After NORAD was created, the command used different readiness levels
(Normal, Increased, Maximum) subdivided into eight conditions, e.g., the
"Maximum Readiness" level had two conditions "Air Defense Readiness" and
"Air Defense Emergency".[6] In October 1959, the JCS Chairman informed
NORAD "that Canada and the U.S. had signed an agreement on increasing the
operational readiness of NORAD forces during periods of international
tension."[6] After the agreement became effective on October 2, 1959,[6] the
JCS defined a system with DEFCONs in November 1959 for the military
commands.[2] The initial DEFCON system had "Alpha" and "Bravo" conditions
(under DEFCON 3) and Charlie/Delta under DEFCON 4, plus an "Emergency"
level higher than DEFCON 1 with two conditions: "Defense Emergency" and
the highest, "Air Defense Emergency" ("Hot Box" and "Big Noise" for
exercises).[6]

Instances of DEFCON 2 or 3 …

DEFCON 2
…
Cuban Missile Crisis
…
During the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 16–28, 1962, the U.S. Armed
Forces (with the exception of United States Army Europe (USAREUR)) were
ordered to DEFCON 3. On October 24, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was
ordered to DEFCON 2, while the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces remained at
DEFCON 3. SAC remained at DEFCON 2 until November 15.[7]

Persian Gulf War

…
On January 15, 1991, the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared DEFCON 2 in the
opening phase of Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War.[8]

DEFCON 3
…
Yom Kippur War
…
On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a joint attack on Israel resulting
in the Yom Kippur War. The United States became concerned that the Soviet
Union might intervene, and on October 25, US forces, including Strategic Air
Command, Continental Air Defense Command, European Command and the
Sixth Fleet, were placed at DEFCON 3.

According to documents declassified in 2016, the move to DEFCON 3 was

motivated by CIA reports indicating that the Soviet Union had sent a ship to
Egypt carrying nuclear weapons along with two other amphibious vessels.[9]
Soviet troops never landed, although the ship supposedly transporting nuclear
weapons did arrive in Egypt. Further details are unavailable and remain
classified.

Over the following days, the various forces reverted to normal status with the
Sixth Fleet standing down on November 17.[10]

Operation Paul Bunyan

…
Following the axe murder incident at Panmunjom on August 18, 1976,
readiness levels for US forces in South Korea were increased to DEFCON 3,
where they remained throughout Operation Paul Bunyan.[11]

September 11 attacks
…
During the September 11 attacks, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
ordered the DEFCON level be increased to 3, and also a stand-by for a
possible increase to DEFCON 2. It was lowered to DEFCON 4 on September
14.[12]

See also

COGCON – Continuity of government readiness level

Doomsday Clock

HURCON – Hurricane Condition threat rating (military-developed scale)

National Command Authority (United States)

National Military Command Center

National Terrorism Advisory System

UK Threat Levels – Similar British system used for terrorism threats

References

1. "Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms" (https://w

eb.archive.org/web/20091108082044/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pub
s/jp1_02.pdf) (PDF). 12 April 2001 (As Amended Through 19 August 2009).
Archived from the original (http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf
) (PDF) on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2014. (DEFCON is not
mentioned in the 2010 and newer document)
 2. Sagan, Scott D. (Summer 1985). "Nuclear Alerts and Crisis Management" (http://
muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/international_security
/v009/9.4.sagan.pdf) (pdf). International Security. 9 (4): 99–139.
doi:10.2307/2538543 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2538543) – via Project
Muse.

3. "Emergency Action Plan (SEAP)" (https://web.archive.org/web/2013020323253

6/http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/em/CESAS500112.pdf) (PDF). United States
Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District (CESAS) Plan 500-1-12. 1 August
2001. Archived from the original (http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/em/CESAS5001
12.pdf) (PDF) on 2013-02-03.

4. "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 6510.01F" (http://www.jcs.mil/L

inkClick.aspx?fileticket=iGE7nuUc2Mk%3d&tabid=19767&portalid=36&mid=46
626) . jcs.mil.

5. "Emergency Action Procedures of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Volume I - General" (

https://web.archive.org/web/20140113025006/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/ope
ration_and_plans/NuclearChemicalBiologicalMatters/322.pdf) (PDF). US DoD
FOIA Reading Room. April 24, 1981. pp. 4–7. Archived from the original (http://w
ww.dod.mil/pubs/foi/operation_and_plans/NuclearChemicalBiologicalMatters/32
2.pdf) (PDF) on January 13, 2014.

6. NORAD/CONAD Historical Summary: July -December 1959 (http://www.northco

m.mil/Portals/28/Documents/Supporting%20documents/(U)%201962%20NORA
D%20CONAD%20History%20Jan-Jun.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Retrieved
2013-09-25.

7. "DEFCON DEFense CONdition"

(https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/defcon.htm) . fas.org.

8. Meyers, Harold P. (1992) "Nighthawks over Iraq, a study a study of the F117-A
stealth fighter in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (https://nsarchive2.
gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB443/docs/area51_17.PDF) ." U.S. Air Force Office of
History.

9. Naftali, Tim. "CIA reveals its secret briefings to Presidents Nixon and Ford" (http:
//www.cnn.com/2016/08/26/opinions/secret-briefings-to-presidents-from-cia-n
aftali/) . CNN. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

10. Goldman, Jan (16 June 2011). Words of Intelligence: An Intelligence

Professional's Lexicon for Domestic and Foreign Threats (https://books.google.c
om/books?id=B9LhgC4g-QEC&pg=PA93) . Scarecrow Press. pp. 93–.
ISBN 978-0-8108-7476-3.

11. Probst, Reed R. (16 May 1977). "Negotiating With the North Koreans: The U.S.
Experience at Panmunjom" (https://web.archive.org/web/20051024105914/http:
 Experience at Panmunjom" (https://web.archive.org/web/20051024105914/http:
//www.nautilus.org/foia/NegotiatingwithNK.pdf) (PDF). Carlisle Barracks,
Pennsylvania: U.S. Army War College. Archived from the original (http://www.nau
tilus.org/foia/NegotiatingwithNK.pdf) (PDF) on October 24, 2005. Retrieved
17 December 2009.

12. "Complete 911 Timeline: Donald Rumsfeld's Actions on 9/11" (http://www.history

commons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=complete_911_timeline&day_of_9/11=donaldr
umsfeld) . www.historycommons.org. Retrieved 2016-08-02.

External links

Media related to DEFCON at Wikimedia Commons

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