The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is a measure of the activation and readiness level of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States It describes progressive postures for use between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of unified commands. The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces DEFCONs are matched to the situations of military severity. Standard peacetime protocol is DEFCON 5, descending in increasingly severe situations. DEFCON 1 represents expectation of actual imminent attack, and is not known to have ever been declared.
In a national state of emergency, seven different alert conditions known as LERTCONs can be issued. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors or order government agencies An alert state is an indication of the state of readiness of the Armed forces for military action or a State against Terrorism or military attack In United States military doctrine LERTCON is an abbreviation of A' lert Con' dition, and is a measure of the level of action and readiness to be taken in They consist of five Defense Conditions and two Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs). EMERGCON ( Emerg ency Con dition is a state of readiness that is separate from DEFCON, or defense readiness condition used by the United States in that it
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Levels
- DEFCON 5
- This is the condition used to designate normal peacetime military readiness. An upgrade in military preparedness is typically made by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and announced by the United States Secretary of Defense. The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U
- DEFCON 4
- This refers to normal, increased intelligence and the heightening of national security measures.
- DEFCON 3
- This refers to an increase to force readiness above normal. Radio call signs used by American forces change to currently-classified call signs. In Broadcasting and Radio communications a call sign (also known as a callsign or call letters, or abbreviated as a call, or otherwise
- DEFCON 2
- This refers to a further increase in force readiness just below maximum readiness. The most notable time it was declared was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, although the declaration was limited to Strategic Air Command. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. The Strategic Air Command (SAC was both a major command and a "specified command" in the U It is not certain how many times this level of readiness has been reached.
- DEFCON 1
- This refers to maximum readiness. It is not certain whether this has ever been used, but it is reserved for imminent or ongoing attack on US military forces or US territory by a foreign military power.
History
Cold War
- See also: Cold War
The highest alert condition the US military has been confirmed to have been at was DEFCON 2. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States On the evening of May 15, 1960, Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates ordered the Defcon to be raised to a level 3 in order to test the Defcon system. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Thomas Sovereign Gates Jr ( 10 April 1906 - 25 March 1983) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1959 to 1961 under This was supposed to be done in a discreet manner but ended up causing the Soviet Premier Krushchev to call the alert a "provocation. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following " During the Cuban Missile Crisis on 22 October 1962, the US Armed Forces were ordered to DEFCON 3. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On October 23, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was ordered to DEFCON 2, while the rest of the US military remained at DEFCON 3. The Strategic Air Command (SAC was both a major command and a "specified command" in the U SAC remained at 2 until 15 November. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. [1]
For much of the Cold War, US ICBM sites were always at DEFCON 4 rather than 5.
Yom Kippur War
Higher alert conditions were also ordered during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (מלחמת יום הכיפורים transliterated: Milkhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום While the US military was technically at DEFCON 3 status during the Yom Kippur War, in certain theaters it operated under DEFCON 2 conditions as a show-of-force to repel Soviet naval vessels from entering the Bosporus Strait. The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (İstanbul Boğazı (Βόσπορος is a Strait that forms the boundary between the For example, Pershing I missiles in West Germany were prepared for use. Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage Medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Redstone missile as West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (
September 11th Attacks
The third time the United States reached DEFCON 3 was during the September 11, 2001 attacks. [2]
Operations
The DEFCON level is controlled primarily by the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and each DEFCON level defines specific security, activation and response scenarios for the troops in question. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces
Different branches of the armed forces (like the Army, Navy, Air Force) and different bases or command groups can be activated at different defense conditions. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities.
See also
- Homeland Security Advisory System
- REDCON - Readiness Condition levels for US military combat units. In the US military, the term REDCON is short for Readiness Condition and is used to refer to a unit's readiness to respond to and engage in combat operations
- Alert state
References
External links
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