![]() What about their families? Kennedy press secretary Pierre Salinger received an envelope on October 27, 1962, the height of the crisis: If his wife discovered that Salinger had gone into hiding, she was to rip it open for instructions on how to slip out of the city and join up later. High officials got pink cards authorizing helicopter seats, specifying time and location. (That would have happened immediately under DEFCON 2, to be triggered if the United States moved to invade Cuba to disable the Soviet missiles there.) Preparations to flee started under DEFCON 3. White House staff on duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis later recounted plans to evacuate them from Washington by helicopter. But as the levels get more urgent-certainly by DEFCON 2 and 1-Americans would notice unusual activity on the streets. The General Dynamics F-111 participated in the worldwide 1973 DEFCON alert, as well as the limited 1976 incident in Korea.ĭEFCON levels are primarily for the military. The idea of a graded scale indicating combat readiness goes back at least to World War I, but it wasn’t until 1959, following communication mixups during a joint military air-defense exercise called Top Hand, that the United States and Canada agreed to five “defense conditions,” or DEFCONs. Hiking the DEFCON level activates a stack of scripted plans intended for quick execution, and is comparable to “Battle stations!” on a warship facing combat. DEFCON 5 is peacetime, while DEFCON 1 is imminent war. What’s “high”? Screenwriters often get the scale wrong, so begin with this fact: the lower the number, the higher the worry. A high DEFCON level is now techno-slang for a situation so pressing that it needs prompt, extreme action. Going to the international hackers convention? That’s a DEF CON. The term shows up in TV shows and movies, video games, cartoons, songs, and even hot-sauce labels. It’s embarrassing, perhaps, but not that surprising-this concept from the depths of the cold war still has so much popular fascination it has blurred under constant use. According to Robert Ruby, a newspaper reporter embedded on the ship, one officer grabbed a spy novel to find out what the alert meant. The battleship, Bill told them over the loudspeaker, was now at DEFCON 2. The evacuation while urgent must be orderly to ensure everyone is accounted for.For most sailors on board the USS Wisconsin in January 1991, the first they heard of Operation Desert Storm was an announcement from the commanding officer, Captain David Bill. After ensuring all Navy and Jedi personal are accounted for, LAAT’s will transport all forces to the nearest planet. DEFCON 1 - Evacuation ĭEFCON 1 is the final stage of emergency and signals a full and immediate evacuation of the ship via the Main Hangar. ![]() This is seen as a severe threat to the ship, and could result in critical damage to the ship if not contained. Additionally, all critical infrastructure (Engine Room, Port and Starboard Hangar Control rooms, the Starfighter and Command Bridges, and the Brig if it is in use) are to engage Lockdown. Although hostiles are believed to be on-board, they are not deemed to pose a threat to the key infrastructure of the Poseidon.ĭEFCON 2 alerts all troopers to engage hostiles on-ship. Security forces are to sweep the ship and search for possible hostiles on-board.ĭEFCON 3 requires all troopers to immediately cease their current duties, and to engage all hostiles on-board the ship. During this time, all Clones are encouraged to be vigilant and have their weapons on safety. All personnel should continue their normal duties at this level.ĭEFCON 4 indicates that there is a potential threat, however it is either minimal or the severity has not yet been fully recognised. During this time, Clones are expected to have their weapons holstered unless they are members of the Secuirty Directorate, who should have their weapons on safety. The ship will always be at DEFCON 5 unless stated otherwise. There are 5 levels in descending order of severity, with each level requiring a specific response from those onboard the ship.ĭEFCON 5 is the lowest level of danger. The DEFCON system is in place to shorten response time and mitigate panic in emergency situations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |