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I'm having flashbacks to the early 80's thinking about the American submarine sailors on high alert right now. I served on the USS G. W. Carver SSBN 656, which

I'm having flashbacks to the early 80's thinking about the American submarine sailors on high alert right now. I served on the USS G. W. Carver SSBN 656, which had 16 of Poseidon missiles. Each had 10 warheads for a total of 160 bombs that could target individual cities or obliterate a single Russian city like an atomic bomb shotgun blast. Like then, I pray now that nukes will never be launched. Also like then, I have nothing against the Russian people. Once the people in charge design a world like this, we are all bit players and victims of it. GW Carver Poseidon C-3 missiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmgY85tLdAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmgY85tLdAY

lordnacho 5y ago
Did it make you think about what it would look like if the war happened? Would you fire the missiles if you knew it had started? Make the world unlivable for Russian kids? Effectively there's no US anymore, do you still follow the orders?
- mwattsun 5y ago
  I had a buddy who was a launch control tech. I asked him these same questions. He said the launch control officer had a .45 pistol to encourage him to initiate the launch sequence if he hesitated. I can't confirm this, but he was a morose person, not one to joke around.
  - ASalazarMX 5y ago
    So the opening scene of Wargames is not pure fiction? I always thought if was fictional because a drill surely wouldn't require to actually shoot an uncooperative officer, and an unloaded/loaded with blanks gun would give the test away.
  - thatguy0900 5y ago
    I wonder whose gun is pointed at the officer
- tick_tock_tick 5y ago
  They run tests that are indistinguishable from real launch orders to verify the US would launch. The compliance rate is high enough that MAD is guaranteed.
  - mwattsun 5y ago
    I don't know where you got this info, but it's not difficult to tell a drill from an actual emergency. That said, it's not a problem because most launch techs would do their job.

lordnacho 5y ago

Did it make you think about what it would look like if the war happened? Would you fire the missiles if you knew it had started? Make the world unlivable for Russian kids? Effectively there's no US anymore, do you still follow the orders?

mwattsun 5y ago
I had a buddy who was a launch control tech. I asked him these same questions. He said the launch control officer had a .45 pistol to encourage him to initiate the launch sequence if he hesitated. I can't confirm this, but he was a morose person, not one to joke around.
- ASalazarMX 5y ago
  So the opening scene of Wargames is not pure fiction? I always thought if was fictional because a drill surely wouldn't require to actually shoot an uncooperative officer, and an unloaded/loaded with blanks gun would give the test away.
- thatguy0900 5y ago
  I wonder whose gun is pointed at the officer
tick_tock_tick 5y ago
They run tests that are indistinguishable from real launch orders to verify the US would launch. The compliance rate is high enough that MAD is guaranteed.
- mwattsun 5y ago
  I don't know where you got this info, but it's not difficult to tell a drill from an actual emergency. That said, it's not a problem because most launch techs would do their job.