Stories About Nuclear Weapons and Threats | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

The Most Dangerous Place in the World 11s

• The Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred 60 years ago, was the closest the world came to nuclear Armageddon, but the current situation with Russia threatening to use nuclear weapons in the war and the deteriorating condition of Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, in Russian-occupied Ukraine, is being carefully monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna 25s.
• The IAEA's Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, recently inspected the site, which is considered the most dangerous place in the world, and described the situation as unprecedented and volatile, requiring urgent action 1m2s.
• Zaporizhzhia has been shelled repeatedly since March, with both sides blaming each other, and the plant, which supplied 20% of Ukraine's power before the war, is now largely idle but still requires constant cooling to prevent a nuclear catastrophe 1m30s.
• The reactors are being cooled by electricity from the town, but if the electricity goes down, emergency systems, such as diesel generators, would kick in, which is not a reliable solution and could lead to a meltdown and a radiological nuclear emergency 2m5s.
• The situation is precarious, and the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe is still present, potentially dwarfing the Chernobyl disaster, which occurred 36 years ago 2m49s.
• In late August, Director General Grossi led the IAEA's first mission into an active war zone to inspect the stability of the site, and the convoy was met with heavy shooting, which was likely an attempt to stop them 3m24s.
• The Russians are using the nuclear plant as their military base, and the IAEA team was able to inspect the site, although they were limited in some areas, including the control room 3m57s.
• The team found evidence that rockets had come close to the reactors and other sensitive areas, and Director General Grossi saw big holes in the roof of a building storing fresh nuclear fuel 4m39s.
• Satellite photos showed significant damage to the nuclear power plant, including the switchyard where external power comes in to cool the reactors, which was shelled several times, indicating that the attackers knew exactly what they were doing 5m7s.
• Andre Tu, a plant spokesman who fled Ukraine after working four months under Russian occupation, described his experience working inside the plant under Russian occupation, feeling like a hostage and a prisoner, and being unable to speak out due to the presence of Russian troops with guns 5m45s.
• Ukrainian employees, including the head of the plant, were reportedly imprisoned, kidnapped, and tortured, and safety inspectors felt pressured and threatened, which could lead to human error and accidents at the nuclear power plant 6m15s.
• The shelling of the plant continued, and there were concerns about the possibility of a dirty bomb or a real nuclear bomb being used, with countries throwing around the idea of using nuclear weapons 7m1s.
• A proposal for the establishment of a protection zone around the plant was made to prevent attacks, and President Zelensky and President Putin were informed of the situation, with Putin showing a detailed knowledge of the plant's layout and electrical access 7m11s.
• There were concerns that Putin might be trying to use the plant as a weapon, given his history of weaponizing energy in the war, and the possibility of a dirty bomb or a real nuclear bomb being used was raised 8m8s.
• World leaders, including President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, condemned Putin's threat to use a nuclear weapon, and the CIA director warned of the consequences of such a move 8m44s.
• Raphael Gry, a nuclear non-proliferation expert, emphasized that heads of state should not throw around the idea of using nuclear weapons, as it is a completely different ball game that requires careful consideration and caution 9m25s.
• Iran is suspected of developing a nuclear bomb and has already accumulated enough enriched uranium to have more than one device, but there is no information to indicate that Iran has a nuclear weapon program at the moment 9m57s.
• The Director General is concerned about North Korea, which is expected to conduct its first underground nuclear test since 2017, and is also a member of the nuclear club 10m48s.
• The Chinese are protesting the sale of eight nuclear submarines by the United States and Great Britain to Australia, which contain nuclear war material 11m2s.
• A special arrangement is required for the sale, and the Director General has started working on this with Australia, which would allow for the inspection of the nuclear material to prevent it from being diverted to make bombs 11m19s.
• The Director General believes that an agreement with Australia would be satisfactory, but is unsure if it would satisfy the Chinese, who have been critical of the sale and have accused the West of having a double standard 11m49s.
• The Director General emphasizes the importance of protecting nuclear power plants, stating that they should not be shelled or stormed, and has proposed an agreement to prevent their use as military bases, although no one has agreed to this yet 12m31s.
• The Director General remains optimistic about finding a solution, despite the challenges, and believes that giving up would have severe consequences 13m5s.

The North Korean Threat 13m24s

• North Korea continues to test missiles, raising tensions with the United States, and Kim Jong-un has promised to test an intercontinental ballistic missile that could eventually carry a nuclear warhead and threaten American cities 13m25s.
• US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called the possibility of a North Korean nuclear threat a "clear and present danger to the world" 13m43s.
• A North Korean defector, who was the Deputy Ambassador in London, stated that Kim's missile program is part of an obsession with the survival of his regime 14m9s.
• The defector, known as Tay, has been living in Seoul for six months and has been kept under close watch by six bodyguards due to the risk of assassination by North Korea 14m45s.
• North Korea has assassinated defectors in Seoul to prevent more possible defections, and Tay believes Kim Jong-un would stop at nothing to maintain his power 15m2s.
• The Kim family has controlled North Korea with an ironclad fist for 70 years, and Kim Jong-un devotes a quarter of his country's economy to weapons and his million-man army despite widespread food shortages 15m18s.
• Tay believes that Kim Jong-un strongly believes that possessing an ICBM would allow him to scare America and maintain his power 15m45s.
• Kim Jong-un's capability to cause harm to America, South Korea, and the world should not be underestimated, according to Tay 16m11s.
• During his five years in power, Kim Jong-un has expanded North Korea's nuclear arsenal despite international sanctions that have brought his country's economy to its knees 16m23s.
• Tay was living a comfortable life at the North Korean Embassy in London before he defected with his wife and two grown sons, citing the safety guaranteed by the government 16m47s.
• Tay lost faith in the regime when Kim Jong-un killed his own uncle in 2013 and executed dozens of perceived enemies, including diplomats 17m19s.
• Tay was forced to leave one of his children back in Pyongyang as a hostage, a common practice for North Korean diplomats, but was able to defect when the policy unexpectedly changed and his oldest son was allowed to join the family in London 18m11s.
• A North Korean defector was kept in a safe house by South Korean intelligence agents and questioned for over three months, during which he revealed that his decision to defect came at a huge cost, with his co-workers, relatives, and in-laws facing potential purging or death 18m38s.
• Chung Min Lee, South Korea's former Ambassador for National Security, stated that the risk of war is exceptionally high, with nearly a million forces on both sides standing ready to fight, and the US forces are in the middle of this potential conflict 19m23s.
• The Korean War began in 1950 when the Communist North invaded, resulting in 34,000 American deaths, and technically, the war is still ongoing due to the lack of a peace treaty 20m35s.
• The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea is a 2.5-mile-wide area where the agreement that suspended the Korean War was signed, but no peace treaty has been established 20m13s.
• The DMZ has a surreal atmosphere, with a fake village on the North Korean side built to impress the South, loudspeakers blaring propaganda, and 10,000 artillery pieces aimed at Seoul, which could reach the 28 million people in and around the city 21m45s.
• US war planners estimate that 500,000 people could be killed in a second Korean war, making Seoul one of the most vulnerable metropolitan areas on Earth due to its size and population density 22m32s.
• US Air Force General James SLI flew over the city, which is just 30 miles from the DMZ, and highlighted the security concerns, with Korean Airmen and American colleagues monitoring activity north of the DMZ 22m56s.
• The North Korean missile launches have put the region on high alert, with the US and its allies on a war footing, as the best way to prevent a war is being ready for one 23m20s.
• The North's latest missile tests used a new type of solid fuel engine and were fired from mobile launchers, making them quick to deploy and difficult for US satellites to detect in real time 23m32s.
• The development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons has increased tension in the region, with a sense of unease palpable in the air 23m45s.
• General Vincent Brooks, who leads US forces in Korea, met with a news crew at Guardpost 4, a citadel on critical high ground at the end of a road lined with landmines 23m58s.
• The general emphasized that the situation is tense, and it would take only a decision from North Korea to go from the current state to hostilities, with over 120 missiles fired during Kim Jong-un's time in power 24m38s.
• The US is concerned about North Korea's development of ICBMs that could reach the west coast of the United States, and the general believes that North Korea must take responsibility for the instability in the region 25m1s.
• US intelligence estimates that Kim Jong-un has at least 10 nuclear weapons, and if the US were to launch a preemptive strike on an ICBM test site, it could trigger a nuclear response from North Korea 25m34s.
• The US has warned that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, it will be met with an effective and overwhelming response, which could potentially wipe North Korea off the map 25m51s.
• Defector Tayong Ho believes that his brother and sister, who are still in North Korea, will be sent to prison camps, and this weighs heavily on his mind 26m22s.
• Tayong Ho hopes to help topple the North Korean regime by encouraging other defections and speaking out, and he believes that his actions can make a difference 26m56s.

The New Cold War (Part 1) 27m20s

• The US and Russia still maintain enough nuclear weapons on alert to end civilization, and a new Cold War is brewing with both sides developing more sophisticated and accurate weapons 27m35s.
• The US Strategic Command, also known as STRATCOM, trains daily for the possibility of nuclear war and takes extraordinary measures to ensure only the President of the United States can give the order to launch a nuclear weapon 27m55s.
• The USS Kentucky, a nuclear submarine, is nearly two football fields long and can carry almost 200 nuclear warheads, with each warhead being up to 30 times more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima 28m29s.
• Commander Brian Freck, the captain of the USS Kentucky, operates under the assumption that other countries are always looking for the submarine, but none have ever found it 29m1s.
• The crew of the USS Kentucky practices the procedures needed to launch its missiles, including setting condition 1SQ for training and using multiple keys to unlock the missile tubes 29m50s.
• No one person can make a launch happen, and multiple keys, including one that unlocks the missile tubes, must be brought out from different safes 30m8s.
• The combination to the safe where the launch key is kept is not known by anyone on board, and it is only provided with the launch order from the President 30m35s.
• Admiral Cecil Haney, the head of the US Strategic Command, is the most powerful military officer in charge of nuclear forces capable of executing all signed missions 31m9s.
• The President of the United States has the sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, without needing approval from Congress, making these "the president's own weapons" 31m55s.
• The President's morning briefing at Strategic Command headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, is classified Above Top Secret, and includes information on the nation's nuclear forces, space satellites, and cyber weapons 31m31s.
• In the event of a missile launch against the United States, the warning would be received at the Global Operations Center, a top-secret facility three stories underground, where the clock would start ticking down to impact 32m18s.
• The Watch Commander, Colonel Barbara, would be responsible for tracking the missile's trajectory and estimating the time to impact, while Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Gilan would provide options for a retaliatory nuclear strike 32m25s.
• The Nuclear Decision Handbook, also known as the Black Book, contains options for a nuclear strike and is kept in a safe at the Global Operations Center, with an identical copy in the President's briefcase 32m59s.
• In the event of a crisis, the President would be given specific information on the types of weapons to use, targets to hit, and estimated casualties, and would have only minutes to make a decision 33m22s.
• The President can be reached directly from the Global Operations Center via a secure phone line, and would have around 7-10 minutes to make a decision in the event of a missile launch from a Russian submarine 34m0s.
• Former Secretary of Defense William Perry stated that the United States is still on a "hair trigger" alert, with the ability to launch nuclear weapons within minutes, despite the end of the Cold War 34m34s.
• Although the number of nuclear weapons has decreased since the Cold War, the number of weapons remaining is still sufficient to destroy all of civilization 35m1s.
• The United States has more than a thousand nuclear weapons on alert, ready to be launched, which is more than enough to destroy civilization, with both sides having pledged to point their missiles at the open ocean at the end of the Cold War, but it would only take minutes to change back to real targets 35m13s.
• A false alarm in 1979, triggered by a watch officer mistakenly inserting a training tape into a computer, made it seem like 200 ICBMs were on their way from the Soviet Union to the United States, but the situation was resolved before it reached the president 35m38s.
• The fail-safe that stopped the situation from escalating was an astute General who sensed something was wrong, and it is noted that having only one serious case in 45 years seems like a good record, but it only takes one incident to have severe consequences 36m9s.
• The Strategic Command is building a new $1.2 billion headquarters, but it won't be any more able to survive a nuclear blast than the current underground Command Center, which has a clock counting down the time to missile impact 36m33s.
• Admiral Haney, the commander of US Strategic Command, has a safe escape time to exit the battle deck and board his Commander support aircraft to continue providing advice to the president as his senior nuclear adviser 36m50s.
• If Admiral Haney's headquarters were destroyed, and he didn't make it out in time, Rear Admiral Andy Lennon would assume command and ensure that only the president could give the order to launch nuclear weapons 37m27s.
• The Airborne command post has secure procedures to authenticate the president's identity before accepting orders, and once the president has given the order, it would be communicated to strategic forces, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers, and submarines 37m43s.
• The crew of the Kentucky submarine would go through launch procedures they have practiced hundreds of times if they received the order, and last year, the Kentucky actually fired an unarmed missile in a test flight 38m25s.
• Aboard the Airborne command post, Captain Stuart Miller, the meteorological effects officer, would chart the unthinkable, gathering information on nuclear detonations worldwide and applying meteorological data to figure out the effects of fallout 38m44s.
• A casualty estimate of essentially one can be provided, indicating the consideration of various scenarios, including depressing ones 39m14s.
• Conversations about the possibility of the President issuing an order to use nuclear weapons and the potential disagreement with it have been considered, with the understanding that the President expects the best military advice 39m32s.
• As a military man, the expectation is to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief, even if there is disagreement with the decision to use nuclear weapons 39m58s.
• The chances of the next President having to make the decision whether to use nuclear weapons are greater than one might think 40m10s.

The New Cold War (Part 2) 40m24s

• President Obama's nuclear strategy states that while the threat of all-out nuclear war is remote, the risk of a nuclear attack somewhere in the world has actually increased, with the risk initially coming from a rogue nation like North Korea. 40m25s
• The US and Russia were previously considered partners, but that changed after Russia invaded Crimea, using military force to change the borders of Europe, and its President Vladimir Putin and his generals began talking about nuclear weapons. 40m42s
• For generations, nuclear weapons have been seen as a last resort to be used only in extreme circumstances, but in this new Cold War, the use of a nuclear weapon is not as unlikely to occur as previously thought. 40m57s
• Air-launched cruise missiles are being loaded onto long-range B-52 bombers at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, with the B-52 capable of carrying 20 cruise missiles, six under each wing and eight in the bomb bay. 41m11s
• Major General Richard Clark commands all of the country's nuclear bombers and stated that the air-launched cruise missiles are the primary nuclear weapon for the B-52, although the ones shown were training missiles and not armed with nuclear warheads. 41m30s
• The B-52 can carry 20 cruise missiles, with a rotary launcher holding eight air-launched cruise missiles within the internal bomb bay, allowing the launcher to rotate and release the weapon. 41m50s
• As the most visible arm of the American nuclear arsenal, these bombers are meant to send a message to an international audience, with the ability to put the aircraft anywhere, anytime, and have both allies and adversaries take note. 42m17s
• B-52s have begun sending that message directly to Russia, flying missions not seen since the Cold War, after Vladimir Putin changed history by invading an independent country, Ukraine, and seizing its Republic of Crimea. 42m39s
• Retired General Philip Breedlove stated that the invasion was carried out by so-called "little green men," Russian soldiers wearing uniforms without insignia, but looming in the background were nuclear weapons. 43m6s
• Vladimir Putin said himself that he would have considered raising the alert status of his nuclear force and had given an order to his military to be prepared to increase the readiness of his nuclear forces if the US and NATO tried to block his takeover of Crimea. 43m28s
• Putin sees nuclear weapons as a normal extension of a conventional conflict, and to him, nuclear war is not unthinkable, as stated in their military doctrine signed by Putin in 2014. 44m10s
• Putin has personally directed nuclear exercises, which have increased in both size and frequency, according to General Breedlove. 44m25s
• The US responded to Russia's actions in Crimea with more aggressive exercises, including flying four unarmed B-52s over the North Pole and North Sea in an exercise called Polar Growl, which sent a message to Russia that the US was capable of carrying nuclear weapons 44m36s.
• The B-52s were identified as capable of carrying nuclear weapons by a fin on the side of the fuselage, and each bomber can carry 20 cruise missiles, potentially reaching 80 cruise missiles that could have been launched against targets inside Russia 45m14s.
• The cruise missiles have a range of 1500 miles, and hypothetical lines plotted by Hans Christensen show how far they could potentially reach into Russia, with the end points of those lines reaching facilities in Russia that could be potential targets for nuclear weapons 45m25s.
• The Russians would likely view this exercise as a dry run for an attack on targets inside Russia, and the 80 cruise missiles would be a significant show of firepower 45m46s.
• This was a significant exercise for the US, with the last time American nuclear bombers flying a similar mission being during the Cold War, and it was an unmistakable warning to Russia 46m9s.
• Rear Admiral Steve Parro says there's no indication the Russian military has changed its thinking about nuclear weapons, with recent statements by Russian leaders indicating an evolved willingness to employ nuclear weapons in conflict 46m27s.
• Parro believes that Russia thinks the West is sociologically weaker and that using a nuclear weapon in a conflict could shock Western powers into de-escalating and calling a ceasefire 46m55s.
• Russia may believe that using a limited number of nuclear weapons could convince the US to back down, and they could strike a European target with a nuclear weapon to achieve this goal 47m27s.
• A series of war games commissioned by the Pentagon simulated a scenario in which Russia invaded the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, with Russia having a significant advantage in terms of military strength and being able to retake the capitals of Estonia and Latvia within 36 to 60 hours 47m53s.
• In the event of a conflict with Russia, the US and NATO would need to conduct a major buildup of military forces to drive the Russians out, which could lead to Russia aggressively rattling the nuclear saber and threatening to use nuclear weapons 48m37s.
• Russia has more than 1,000 short-range nuclear weapons, while the US has less than 200 at air bases in Europe, with locations officially secret, but a photo discovered on a US Air Force website shows the inside of a shelter where nuclear bombs would be loaded aboard American and NATO jet fighters 49m0s.
• Each vault can have up to four nuclear bombs, which hang next to each other and can be loaded onto jet fighters, with the bombs being called the B61 and being upgraded with new tail fins for greater accuracy 49m25s.
• The B61 upgrade would allow it to destroy its target using a lower yield nuclear weapon, decreasing civilian casualties, and the air launch cruise missile can also be turned into a low-yield nuclear weapon with a variable yield option 49m51s.
• Having a low-yield nuclear option does not make the decision to use a nuclear weapon easier, but it does provide a way to minimize civilian casualties, and Russia is also developing low-yield weapons that could lower the threshold for first use of nuclear weapons 50m16s.
• Rear Admiral Perod does not believe Russia is eager to use nuclear weapons, but they are more interested in considering how nuclear weapons could be used in conflict to close a gap or sustain the opportunity for victory 51m7s.
• Admiral Cecil Haney, head of the US Strategic Command, is trying to answer the question of what scenario would get Russia to seriously consider the use of nuclear weapons, and he believes that today is a riskier time than before 51m37s.
• Haney's job is to convince Vladimir Putin that resorting to nuclear weapons would be the worst mistake he could possibly make, and to do this, he needs to have a deep understanding of Putin's psychology and what would work to deter Russia 52m12s.
• Haney describes Putin as someone who needs to be understood deeply in order to be deterred, but he is not a psychologist and cannot provide a detailed psychological description of Putin 52m36s.
• Russia's possession of a large number of nuclear weapons is a concern, particularly given the country's history of behaving badly on the international stage 52m54s.
• The leadership in Russia, at various levels, has been known to openly discuss the use of nuclear weapons, which is a worrying trend in the 21st century 53m11s.
• The fact that an opportunist, in this case, Russia, has access to a nuclear arsenal is also a cause for concern 52m51s.

America's Missile Fields (Part 1) 53m26s

• The United States has nearly 450 land-based nuclear missiles, known as Minuteman 3s, which are part of the nuclear Triad that includes submarines and bombers, and are ready to launch on the president's command 53m35s.
• The entire Air Force chain of command of a missile base responsible for one-third of the land-based missiles was removed due to a scandal involving drugs and cheating on tests 54m7s.
• The Minuteman 3 missiles are located in underground silos in five different states, with a web of underground hardened and pressurized cables connecting them to buildings where they are monitored remotely 56m1s.
• The missiles are armed with nuclear warheads that are 20 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and could kill millions if dropped on a major city 54m59s.
• The Air Force still keeps nearly all 450 of the missiles on constant alert, ready to go, and there is no way to recall or disarm the warhead once a missile is launched 55m12s.
• The missiles are located close to rural communities, with some being near farms and grazing cattle, but are considered safe as they are not going to do anything on the ground unless launched 55m23s.
• The control rooms for the missiles are located 70 ft underground in capsules, with a protective shell of concrete and steel, and are designed to survive a nuclear blast 56m14s.
• The missileers who watch over and control the missiles work in teams of two on 24-hour shifts, known as alerts, and have everything they need to survive down in the control room 56m55s.
• The missileers use three switches and a key, which is kept in a strong box with two locks, to launch the missiles, with multiple layers of safeguards built in to prevent accidental launch 57m35s.
• The work of missileers is not boring, as they have many actions to perform daily, and alarms and phones keep ringing, indicating the need to decode messages or deal with classified information 58m1s.
• The equipment used by missileers is ancient, with computers that receive launch orders from the president using floppy discs 58m37s.
• The Air Force allowed a visit to the missile fields surrounding Warren Air Force Base to counter bad press it received at other bases, including Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, where 17 missileers were removed from duty after performing poorly on an inspection 58m56s.
• At Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, three missileers are under investigation for drug possession, and 91 have been implicated in a scandal involving cheating on routine tests 59m18s.
• Major General Jack Weinstein took control of all three nuclear bases in December with a mandate to find out what ails the missile core and fix it 59m35s.
• General Weinstein commands a force of 9,600, including maintenance technicians, security forces, and about 500 missileers who man 45 control centers round the clock 1h0m10s.
• The general says that only 1% of the 9,600 people working for him violated core values, but this percentage is much higher among missileers, at around 20% 1h0m37s.
• General Weinstein removed the directors of operations, and the Air Force brass announced that the Montana base commander would resign, and nine other officers under him would be removed 1h1m0s.
• Investigators found no evidence of cheating at the two other missile bases, but former missileers claim that cheating goes on everywhere and has been going on for a long time 1h1m12s.
• An instructor at one of the bases, who left last year, told about the endemic cheating, and evidence, including text messages and emails, was investigated 1h1m39s.
• The Air Force's missile core has been treated like a "stepchild" with pilots receiving more glory, and missileers having fewer opportunities for advancement. 1h1m59s
• A culture of perfection has led to cheating among missileers, who felt they needed to score 100% on tests to have a chance at promotion. 1h2m16s
• The minimum passing score for tests was 90%, but those who scored 90% were treated like "D students." 1h2m41s
• Current missileers, including 26-year-old Daniel Sharp, reported feeling pressure to score 100% and experiencing stress as a result. 1h2m50s
• However, Sharp also stated that the pressure led to a great deal of studying and proficiency, and that no one cheated because they didn't know the material. 1h3m0s
• The Air Force has changed its policy, and now a score above 90% is considered passing, rather than failing. 1h3m17s
• The change aims to boost morale, which has been low for a long time, even among top officials. 1h3m39s
• Last year, Major General Michael Carey was relieved of command for drunken and inappropriate behavior during an official trip to Moscow. 1h3m50s
• Many missileers did not choose the job as their first choice, but rather were assigned to it, and some are working on advanced degrees. 1h4m14s
• Morale problems among missileers come from the demanding schedule and the need to adapt to changing circumstances, including weather conditions. 1h4m34s
• The job can be grueling, with some shifts lasting 24 hours or more, and weather conditions can impact the length of time spent in the launch control centers. 1h4m47s
• Despite the challenges, many missileers feel that things are improving, and there are multiple safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized launches. 1h5m8s
• The launch control centers have enable codes that must be entered before a missile can be launched, and only the President has the authority to initiate a launch. 1h5m44s
• The United States has a system in place for authorizing the launch of nuclear weapons, which requires receiving specific codes that are not possessed by individuals when they enter the Launch Control Center (LCC) 1h5m49s.
• A crucial part of the job for those working with nuclear missiles is monitoring their condition, and if any issues are detected, a maintenance crew is called in to fix the problem 1h6m7s.
• Maintenance crews train on a missile that is nearly identical to the real thing, minus the rocket fuel and warhead, and they work off detailed checklists to ensure safety and prevent sabotage 1h6m20s.
• The technicians always work in pairs, constantly monitoring each other, to adhere to safety rules and prevent accidents or intentional harm 1h6m40s.
• Minutemen 3 missiles are occasionally removed from their silos for repairs or test launches without warheads to ensure they remain functional 1h6m59s.
• These missiles were originally designed and built during the Cold War, but the second-in-command of US nuclear forces now expresses more concern about accidents or human error than a potential Russian attack 1h7m12s.
• There have been past incidents that nearly led to accidental nuclear detonations in the US, which will be discussed further 1h7m32s.

America's Missile Fields (Part 2) 1h7m47s

• The US has relied on land-based nuclear missiles and long-range bombers for over 50 years to deter other nations from using nuclear weapons against them, but the age of the equipment and human error pose significant concerns 1h7m48s.
• Small mistakes, such as a dropped socket, can lead to major accidents during routine maintenance, and there have been numerous close calls involving nuclear weapons, including fires, plane crashes, fuel explosions, and an accidentally dropped bomb on US soil 1h8m6s.
• Many of these incidents were not disclosed at the time, but witness accounts and declassified government documents have revealed the severity of these incidents, showing how close the US came to a nuclear disaster 1h8m31s.
• Eric Schlosser spent six years investigating nuclear weapons mishaps during the Cold War and wrote about several hair-raising incidents, including a rocket fuel explosion in 1980 in Damascus, Arkansas, that forced the evacuation of nearby residents 1h8m56s.
• The explosion occurred when a socket was dropped in a Titan 2 missile silo, causing a fuel leak, but safety mechanisms in the warhead prevented detonation 1h9m18s.
• Schlosser notes that the US was lucky in this incident and others, such as when an Air Force B-52 accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb over Goldsboro, North Carolina, in 1961, but a safety switch prevented a full-scale detonation 1h9m49s.
• There was a real effort during the Cold War to deny the possibility of a nuclear weapon detonating by accident, but today's Minuteman 3 missiles use more stable rocket fuel and have upgraded guidance systems 1h10m24s.
• Although the nuclear warheads themselves are much safer than they were 30 years ago, the infrastructure and equipment that carry them, such as the Minuteman missiles, date back to the Nixon Administration 1h10m57s.
• The command and control architecture is complicated and aging, raising concerns about the risk of an accident, but Major General Jack Weinstein, who oversees the US's 450 land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, believes the probability of an accident is as close to zero as possible 1h11m38s.
• Weinstein's confidence is based on the safety mechanisms in place, but others argue that the complexity of the system and the potential for human error mean that accidents can still happen 1h11m59s.
• The US nuclear missile system, despite being upgraded, still faces challenges due to its age, with some parts no longer being manufactured, requiring the creation of new pieces to replace them 1h12m11s.
• A visit to an underground control center revealed an enormous outer door, designed to protect the missile core, was propped open with a crowbar and marked with a danger tag due to a broken part that had been disabled for years 1h12m24s.
• At a missile silo, time and frigid weather had taken their toll, with the missile being pulled out for repairs due to water seepage, highlighting the issue of "loose nukes" in the US military 1h12m56s.
• In 2007, six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were loaded onto a B-52 by mistake, flown across the country, and left unguarded on the tarmac for 36 hours, leading to the resignation of the Air Force secretary and chief of staff 1h13m16s.
• In 2010, a technical glitch caused a missile squadron at a base in Wyoming to stop receiving electronic messages from the missiles it was monitoring, resulting in the loss of status monitoring for 50 missiles for almost an hour 1h13m42s.
• The incident was described as "serious" but not "dangerous" due to the safety of the weapon system 1h14m7s.
• Communication issues were also reported, with personnel experiencing trouble hearing and connecting on their phones, which are part of an analog system 1h14m29s.
• The phones are not used for receiving launch orders from the president, which are transmitted through more secure systems 1h14m55s.
• The use of old computers, including floppy discs, provides some safety against cyber issues due to their isolation from the internet 1h15m11s.
• A complete analysis of the network found the system to be extremely safe and secure, with cyber engineers recommending it be kept in its current state 1h15m36s.
• A tactical security team trains to take back a missile silo from potential terrorists, using fast-roping and drawing guns to secure the site 1h16m1s.
• The US nuclear Triad consists of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), missiles on submarines, and bombers, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating a cost of at least $355 billion over the next 10 years to operate and upgrade all three legs of the Triad 1h16m22s.
• The land-based missiles are considered the least useful part of the Triad, as they are fixed targets that the Russians know exactly where they are, putting the states where they are based at risk 1h16m56s.
• In contrast, submarines are hidden, and bombers can be recalled if a launch is aborted, making them more flexible options 1h17m9s.
• Having an on-alert, 24/7 nuclear capability is considered extremely important to protect the nation, and the ICBM force provides a day-to-day deterrent value 1h17m26s.
• The ICBM force is being modernized, and it is essential to provide the American public with the deterrent value that the ICBM provides 1h17m49s.
• Missileers practice their procedures in simulators, and a practice launch involves turning switches and holding them, with the potential to launch up to 50 missiles 1h18m4s.
• The experience of being on alert is intense, with officers responsible for monitoring the status of up to 50 nuclear weapons, which can be a heavy burden 1h18m33s.
• The Air Force has announced plans to spend $19 million this year to upgrade the launch control centers and silos, with a request for over $600 million next year to make further improvements 1h19m4s.

Worst Case Scenario 1h19m25s

• A terrorist nuclear attack on an American city is considered the number one threat today, with hundreds of thousands of people potentially dying, but hundreds of thousands of others could be saved with proper treatment 1h19m26s.
• The Pentagon believes it has found a drug to treat radiation exposure, which was discovered after decades of searching, but the drug is not yet available 1h20m4s.
• If terrorists were to detonate a nuclear device in a major US city, hundreds of thousands of people would suffer from acute radiation exposure, with most deaths in the immediate aftermath resulting from damage to the bone marrow, infections, and internal bleeding 1h20m16s.
• Pentagon scientists discovered a possible treatment for radiation sickness after testing a drug made by Hollis Eden, a small biotech company in San Diego, which showed promising results in tests on mice, dogs, and monkeys 1h20m35s.
• The drug, called Neumune, was not FDA-approved but was considered by the Pentagon to be the most efficacious, least toxic, and most comprehensive in its effects 1h21m15s.
• The Pentagon's interest in the drug was sparked by the 9/11 attacks, and they began working with Hollis Eden to develop the drug for both military and civilian use 1h21m4s.
• The company's vice president, Bob Marcel, and his boss, Rich Hollis, had to convince potential investors that the US government would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to buy their drug 1h21m51s.
• The government's Project Bioshield, a $6 billion research and production effort to guard against bioterrorism, provided the necessary incentive for drug companies to develop new drugs, including Neumune 1h22m40s.
• With Project Bioshield, Hollis Eden had a partner in the Pentagon and a guaranteed market for their drug if it tested successfully 1h23m3s.
• Hollis Eden Pharmaceuticals developed a radiation drug with the expectation that the US government would purchase millions of doses, but the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would only commit to purchasing 100,000 doses from the company with the best product, causing Hollis Eden's stock to plummet from $35 to $5 per share 1h23m13s.
• The decision to purchase only 100,000 doses was made by Steuart Simonson, the man overseeing Project Bioshield, despite estimates suggesting that 10 million doses would be needed in the event of a major attack 1h25m1s.
• Lee Hamilton, Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, stated that 100,000 doses is not nearly enough to protect the US population in the event of a terrorist strike, as dozens of US cities with large populations could be plausible targets 1h24m41s.
• Congressman Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican, criticized Simonson's management of Project Bioshield, stating that he lacks the necessary technical and scientific background, and called for his removal from the program 1h25m28s.
• Simonson has been under fire for committing nearly a billion dollars to acquire a controversial new anthrax vaccine, but has been given credit for successfully stockpiling drugs for smallpox 1h26m21s.
• William Raub, Simonson's Deputy, defended his boss, stating that he brought considerable background and expertise from his time working for Amtrak, where he was responsible for addressing terrorist threats against the rail industry 1h26m36s.
• Raub explained that the proposal to purchase 100,000 doses is just the starting point, and that the government does not see this as the end goal 1h27m1s.
• The US government has ordered 100,000 doses of a new drug to treat radiation exposure, but the contractor believes this is just a starting point and that more doses will be needed in the event of a nuclear attack 1h27m5s.
• The contractor would not have developed the drug if they knew the government was only going to buy 100,000 doses, as it would not be enough to justify the research and development costs 1h27m22s.
• The Health and Human Services department has not committed to buying more doses, despite the urgency of the problem and the possibility of a nuclear attack 1h28m1s.
• The Pentagon continues to endorse the drug and believes it could be self-administered in a disaster scenario, with the possibility of being distributed to people in their homes 1h28m24s.
• The drug could be administered via a cartridge with a needle, allowing people to inject it themselves in the event of a nuclear attack 1h28m31s.
• Assistant Secretary Simonson has emphasized that nuclear victims bleeding to death could be treated in hospitals, but others believe that hospitals would not be able to handle the large number of casualties 1h29m0s.
• In the event of a radiation disaster, the overwhelming majority of radiation victims will not have access to medical personnel, and relying on hospitals is far from a perfect solution 1h30m2s.
• Evacuating people to hospitals in surrounding areas may not be possible, especially in large cities like New York or Los Angeles, and it is unclear who would drive the buses or provide food and water to those affected 1h30m15s.
• The company BioShield has been involved in the development of the new drug, and its executives believe that it has the potential to save lives in the event of a nuclear attack 1h30m45s.
• Hollis-Eden executives have publicly criticized government officials for mishandling the development of a drug to treat acute radiation sickness, which could have been ready for market this year if the government had done its part 1h31m26s.
• The executives claim that the government's lack of support and the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) skepticism about the need for the drug may prevent it from being deployed to protect the American public 1h31m46s.
• Congressman Davis is concerned that HHS is playing a "dangerous game" by not prioritizing the development of countermeasures for nuclear threats, essentially betting that there won't be a terrorist attack 1h32m14s.
• According to Congressman Davis, the US is years behind where it should be in terms of preparedness for a nuclear attack, and he wants to see the President and the Secretary of HHS make this a top priority 1h32m26s.
• The lack of government support and incentives may cause companies like Hollis-Eden to fold, which would hinder the development of crucial countermeasures for nuclear threats 1h32m3s.
• The current approach to dealing with nuclear threats is criticized as being inadequate, with Congressman Davis stating that the US has had nothing but "Duck and Cover" and duct tape in the last 60 years 1h31m38s.