USAF, Annex 3-72 Nuclear Operations

Date

May 19, 2015

Document

Description

US Air Force nuclear operations doctrine was created by and distributed through the Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education.  The document is a rare piece of doctrine that purports to describe nuclear launch procedure.

Commentary

Particularly relevant passages related to nuclear launch include the following:

NUCLEAR COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM

The President’s ability to exercise nuclear authority is through the Nuclear Command and Control System (NCCS).

“The NCCS supports the Presidential nuclear C2 of the combatant commands in the areas of integrated tactical warning and attack assessment, decision making, decision dissemination, and force management and report back. To accomplish this, the NCCS comprises those critical communications system components of the

DOD information networks that provide connectivity from the President and Secretary of Defense through the National Military Command System to the nuclear combatant commanders and nuclear execution forces. It includes the emergency action message dissemination systems and those systems used for tactical warning/attack assessment, conferencing, force report back, reconnaissance, retargeting, force management, and requests for permission to use nuclear weapons. The NCCS is integral to and ensures performance of critical strategic functions of the Global Command and Control System. The Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network provides assured communications connectivity between the President and the strategic deterrent forces in stressed environments.” (Joint Publication 1, “Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States)

Because only the President of the United States can authorize the employment of US nuclear weapons, nuclear operations require NC3 systems to provide national leaders with situational awareness, advance warning, and command and control capabilities. Deterrence, stability, and escalation control require that these capabilities endure nuclear attack so that no adversary can contemplate a disarming first strike.

POSITIVE CONTROL

The President may direct the use of nuclear weapons through an execute order via the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the combatant commanders and, ultimately, to the forces in the field exercising direct control of the weapons.

To allow for the timely execution of these orders, emergency action procedures allow for a timely response to an execution message and ensure an execution order is valid and authentic. Air Force personnel involved in the actual employment of nuclear weapons are intensively and continuously trained and certified in these procedures so they can quickly and accurately respond to the order.

The document also touches on the civilian-military division, the planning considerations for the use of nuclear weapons, and nuclear safety and surety.

Citation

United States Air Force, Curtis LeMay Center for Doctrine, “Annex 3-72, Nuclear Operations,” (19 May 2015).

Provenance

US Air Force. (Note that because the security certificate is self-signed, many browsers will claim this is a dangerous link. It is not and the security warning can be overridden.)

Topics

Document entry started by Alex Wellerstein on May 12, 2018. Entry last updated by Mikael Kelly on October 13, 2018.