One week before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The United States has been closely monitoring Russian movements in Ukraine. Recently,
some unsettling images have been brought to light. Satellite imagery reveals nuclear
weapons being moved to airfields just across the border in Russia. Mobile
launchers also appear to be on the move. U.S. military intelligence officers scour the data
to make sure what they’re seeing is accurate. Several MAZ-7917 transporter-erector-launchers
carry RT-2PM Topol ballistic missiles dangerously close to European borders.
It looks as if several of the nuclear missiles are positioned to attack the front lines of the
Ukrainian conflict. Others have been moved to the far reaches of Russia’s eastern
territories. This is unsettling for the United States and its NATO allies, as Vladamir Putin
is not known for his level headedness. As his forces suffer defeat after defeat in Ukraine,
he might be willing to take drastic measures. The President of the United States is informed
of the deployment of nuclear missiles across Russia. He ponders what might be going through
Putin’s head but quickly realizes that is a rabbit hole he does not wish to go down.
Instead, the President of the United States orders several Ohio-Class Ballistic Missile
Submarines to deploy closer to Russian shores. If a nuclear response by the United States is needed,
these submarines will play a vital role in quickly striking key targets before Russia
has time to launch a full-scale nuclear attack. The nation’s defense network is
put on high alert as intelligence officers try to gather as much intel as possible to
provide the President the opportunity to make the most informed decision.
B-2A Spirit stealth bombers take off from Whiteman Air Force Base to fly alert patrols
near the Russian mainland. They are loaded with GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator
bombs in case things go sideways and the U.S. needs to take out Russian high-priority targets
hidden deep within protective bunkers. A few B2s are equipped with B83 nuclear bombs. However,
these aircraft will remain grounded until further notice. These nukes have a maximum
yield of 1.2 megatonnes, making them some of the most powerful nukes in the U.S. arsenal.
24 hours before a U.S. nuclear launch.
Over the past several days, things have escalated. Ukrainian troops have pushed
Russian forces all the way back to Crimea. The Chinese Navy has created a blockade
around Taiwan. And Kim Jong-un has been spouting nonsense and threats that if the United States
tries to interfere with their allies' plans, North Korea is mobilizing forces across the
DMZ. In a matter of days, global security has gone from relatively stable, except in Ukraine,
to terrifying uncertainty in multiple parts of the world.
The President of the United States doesn’t sleep anymore. He keeps a close eye on
events unfolding across the Atlantic and in the Pacific. Right now, the best thing
that the U.S. and its NATO allies can do is prepare. Everyone was already on high alert,
but now the President never lets the nuclear Football out of his sight.
47 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
A high-ranking general bursts into the Oval Office. The President sits at his desk,
staring at the latest images coming in from around the world. Russia, China,
and North Korea all seem to be posturing toward taking drastic actions. The President
can see by the look on the general’s face that this is not going to be good news.
Then an emergency alert reaches the president directly from the
Pentagon. Russia has launched a nuclear missile.
A network of satellites tracks the thermal signature of the Russian nuke. It is heading
west towards Europe. The President knows the target is not the United States as if
Russia were to attack the U.S., their ballistic missiles would fly over the Arctic. However,
until more data comes in, the exact location of where the nuke is headed is unknown. The President
picks up the red phone on his desk and gets the Secretary of Defense on the other line. It is
agreed that everyone should meet in the Situation Room to plan out what the next steps will be.
35 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The Russian missile separates in the atmosphere,
and now four warheads fall towards the city of Kyiv. Three of the warheads are decoys,
but one contains a nuke that could decimate the entire capital of Ukraine. Every NASAMS and
anti-air system in Ukraine fires simultaneously. They try desperately to destroy the warheads
before the nuke detonates. Most of these systems were designed to take out aircraft,
but desperate times call for desperate measures. The world holds its breath as the seconds tick by.
One of the anti-air missiles gets a lucky hit. There is an explosion high up in the
atmosphere. It is not clear how many of the warheads were destroyed or if
the real nuclear device was the one that was hit. The people of Kyiv take shelter,
preparing for the worst. The President of the United States sits in the Situation
Room with his generals, praying that this is all just a nightmare that he will awake from.
34 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The Russian nuclear warhead detonates over the city of Kyiv. In an instant, millions of lives
are lost. The capital of Ukraine is reduced to a smoldering crater surrounded by irradiated ruins.
33 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
“Sir, what are your orders?” the Secretary of Defense asks the President. His eyes are
still fixed on the screen showing a mushroom cloud rising over what was once Kyiv. “Sir!”
the Secretary of Defense screams. The President closes his eyes and shakes his
head. “We cannot let him get away with this,” the President whispers. “Get me the leaders
of NATO on the phone. We need everyone on the same page before what happens next.”
15 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The President of the United States ends the call between the leaders of NATO. He looks around
the Situation Room at his military advisors. The conversation was brief. Everyone agreed
that Russia’s actions can not stand without consequences. There needs to be some form of
retaliation by NATO. It is clear that Putin has lost his mind. After the nuclear attack,
China almost immediately pulled its ships and other forces back to the mainland in an
attempt to de-escalate the conflict in East Asia. Even they can’t believe that Vladamir
Putin would fire a nuclear missile at Ukraine. China has a strict policy of
only using nuclear weapons to defend its own territory. They condemn Russia
for escalating the war in Ukraine into a much more dangerous global conflict.
The Situation Room is silent. The European countries in NATO have already begun mobilizing
their forces. The plan is to hit Putin hard and fast, but the problem is the mad Russian dictator
still has more nuclear weapons: many more. The President of the United States has decided that
Vladamir Putin must be immediately punished and that NATO needs to send a clear message.
The U.S. has taken it upon itself to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike against several key
military installations across Russia. These nukes will not target major cities or populated areas,
but they will cripple Russia's nuclear stores and military infrastructure.
“I’ve made my decision,” the President says. “Bring me the codes.”
13 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
Everyone turns to look at the man holding a black briefcase in the corner of the
Situation Room. For a moment, he does not move. He knows the ramifications of
delivering the briefcase to the President now that he’s made up his mind. But it is
his sworn duty. The man takes a step forward and carries the nuclear football to the table.
He places it in front of the President of the United States and returns to his post.
The President unlatches the clasps of the briefcase. They swing open
with a satisfying click. The President then opens the case and pulls out the contents,
laying them out on the table in front of him. First, the President opens the Black Book,
which contains the retaliatory options available to him. There are all types of
scenarios; the President runs his index finger over the table of contents until
he lands on the one he is looking for. He flips through the pages and finds the correct one.
The room is as quiet as a graveyard. It is as if the air has been sucked out of the
chamber. No one moves. The President reads what's written on the page to himself and
nods his head. He closes the Black Book and opens another booklet that contains a
list of classified sites and their locations around the globe. It is here that he finds
the targets that will be hit when he gives the final order to launch nukes at Russia.
The President closes this book and opens a manila folder that contains several pages of
authentication codes. He picks up the phone and calls the National Military Command Center at the
Pentagon. They have been expecting his call. The voice on the other line speaks an authentication
code into the receiver to verify that the person on the other line is, in fact, the President of
the United States. The President pauses for a moment as he reads the words on the laminated
card known as the biscuit. These words are only known by the President and confirm his identity.
The member of the National Military Command Center listens to the response;
it is correct. Next, the President relays the specific code that
signifies which type of strike he wants. Now that the President has chosen to launch,
there is nothing anyone can do to stop the process. The President of the United States is
the only one who can authorize a nuclear launch and is the only one who can cancel it once the
process has begun. This makes many people in the Situation Room and around the country nervous,
especially if they don’t agree with his decision. But there is nothing anyone can do about it now.
5 minutes before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The codes have been authenticated. The identity of the President has
been confirmed. The encrypted instructions on what missiles should be prepared for launch
and their targets are sent out to all parties involved. These Sealed Authentication System
codes are received by military personnel around the world. When they come in,
safes are opened at each site to retrieve the verification codes to ensure the SAS
codes are real. Underground launch control centers that control the Minuteman missile
silos in the heart of the country prepare for launch. Air force generals order B2 pilots to
report to their planes. Deep under the waters of the Pacific Ocean, encrypted communications
are sent to the Ohio-Class Submarines, who ready their nuclear missiles for launch.
In each instance, the NMCC orders are authenticated one more time by those
who receive them to ensure that the most serious decision that has ever been made is
real. The NMCC sends out the actual missile launch codes. There is one more failsafe to
ensure that every possible opportunity to abort the firing sequence has been given.
1 minute before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The crews at the underground missile silos open a box containing two keys. The commander of the
facility holds onto one and gives the other to his second in command. Submarine captains hand
off a key to their first mate, who walks over to one of the terminals aboard the submarine and
prepares for what comes next. The captain pulls his own key out from a chain around his neck.
The B2s that are en route to their targets have been given the authorization to go weapons-free.
The two pilots in each cockpit are tasked with ensuring their payload hits the correct target.
10 seconds before a U.S. nuclear launch.
There is collective anticipation across every branch of the military. At this point,
all high-ranking officers know what is about to happen. The United States is going to war,
and its launching nukes to kick off what will likely be a catastrophic series of events. There
is still hope that by destroying most of Russia’s nuclear capabilities, an all-out nuclear exchange
can be avoided. But this can’t be confirmed with 100% accuracy. The seconds tick down.
5 seconds before a U.S. nuclear launch.
Each launch requires that both keys are turned within milliseconds of each other.
This ensures that no single person is responsible for launching the nukes and
adds another layer of protection against unintentionally starting a nuclear war.
1 second before a U.S. nuclear launch.
The keys turn in their slots. The launch of the United States’ nuclear arsenal
is initiated. The Nuclear Triad is the backbone of America’s national
security. The Triad consists of land, air, and sea nuclear launch capabilities,
and the President's decision requires that all three branches fire their missiles at Russia.
1 second after U.S. nuclear missiles are launched.
The engines on a hundred Minuteman III missiles roar to life in their underground
silos. These ballistic missiles are located in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,
and Wyoming. The ground shakes as the silo doors open, and the Minuteman missiles roar into the
sky. These ICBMs will fly over the Arctic to hit their targets on the other side of the world.
The soldiers working in the underground launch control centers ask for forgiveness as they
listen to the nukes take flight. The commanders at each facility are still on the phone with the
President of the United States and the National Military Command Center. They update them on their
progress as the missiles rise higher and higher into the atmosphere. Airborne missile combat
crews monitor the ICBMs once they enter the upper atmosphere to ensure they are still on target.
The Minuteman III rockets have a range of over 6,000 miles. They accelerate toward
their top speed of 15,000 miles per hour, which is around Mach 23. Each missile weighs just under
80,000 pounds, which is a lot of weight to launch 700 miles above
the Earth’s surface. The rockets use three solid-propellant motors to get the job done.
Seven Ohio-Class Ballistic Missile Submarines rise close to the surface
just off the Kamchatka Peninsula. This is only half of the Ohio-Class
subs that the United States has at its disposal. But for the current mission,
it is all that is needed. The way that the submarines were designed makes them almost
impossible for the enemy to locate until they surface. And at that point, it is too late.
Each submarine can carry 20 ballistic missiles with independently targeted warheads. This means
that each one of the warheads can be assigned a different target. This will make it incredibly
hard for Russia to intercept them all or launch effective countermeasures. It
is almost inevitable that at least some of the missiles will hit their targets.
The Trident II D5 missiles erupt out of their submarine silos and accelerate into the air. As
soon as the missiles have been launched, the silo doors close, and the submarine descends
back into the depths of the ocean, where it will hide from any enemy ships trying to locate it. The
submarines stealthily make their way back to their respective naval bases to be resupplied for their
next mission. There is no rush at this point, as the Ohio-Class subs typically spend 77 days at sea
before returning for routine maintenance. However, if they needed to, the subs could stay underwater
for much longer as they are nuclear-powered and don’t need to surface to replenish air. Instead,
they use electrolysis to break apart H20 molecules and generate oxygen for the crew.
The B2 bombers are still traveling toward their objectives. Their timing has been precisely
planned out so that they drop their bombs as soon as the first nuclear missiles hit their
targets. The key to the President’s plan is that the nukes strike Russia almost simultaneously.
5 minutes after U.S. nuclear missiles are launched.
NATO forces have launched a series of aerial and ground attacks into Russian territory.
Their main objective is to serve as a decoy for what is to come. Bombers
and fighter jets hit key Russian radar stations that survey the northern edges
of Russian territory and the skies over the Arctic. This is done to prevent early
detection of the incoming ballistic missiles arcing over the North Pole of the planet.
Ground forces speed towards Moscow in an attempt to focus Putin’s attention on the invasion instead
of the strategic nuclear strikes that the United States has just launched. It is a race against
time for NATO forces. They need to cause as much damage and mayhem as possible to distract the mad
dictator of Russia from launching his own nukes. Long-range missiles target key communication hubs
between Moscow and the rest of the country. The more disruptive NATO forces can be,
the better the chances the U.S. nukes have at hitting their targets without being intercepted.
15 minutes after U.S. nuclear missiles are launched.
The Trident II D5 missiles descend toward their targets. Simultaneously, the B2s drop
their nuclear bombs. These stealth aircraft are supplemented by a handful of B-21 Raiders,
with upgraded tech and longer ranges. The Russians have no idea that these aircraft have
entered their airspace. They claimed that their newest forms of radar could detect even stealth
bombers, but this, like so much of Russia’s military posturing, is just a fabrication.
The pilots sight their targets using a combination of infrared sensors,
satellite telemetry, and high-tech radar. They have already been given the all-clear
to drop their nukes since they must maintain radio silence while in Russian airspace to
keep from being detected. Each B-2 drops sixteen 2,400-pound B83 nuclear bombs.
They use sophisticated guidance systems to ensure that the nukes hit their targets.
In an instant, dozens of nuclear missiles and bombs detonate above key Russian military
installations. The distraction by NATO forces seems to have worked. The already weakened Russian
military is so understaffed due to the war in Ukraine that they just didn’t have the personnel
to effectively monitor the NATO attacks and the incoming U.S. nuclear warheads. However, it is now
clear what the strategy is. Putin screams at his generals to launch any Russian nukes that remain.
At that very moment, a B61 thermonuclear gravity bomb penetrates the ground near
where Vladamir Putin is hunkered down in a bunker. The nuke detonates and
instantly wipes out the Russian President and his closest generals. This will cause a
breakdown in the chain of command and should deter Russia from launching its own nukes.
Luckily, the classified information the President of the United States had
included detailed instructions on where the first nuclear warheads needed to strike to
deactivate the Russian Dead Hand contingency. This automated system is supposed to kick in
if the Russian leadership is ever killed in a nuclear attack. Dead Hand uses information and
sensors to determine if an all-out retaliatory strike should be launched if Russian leadership
has been compromised. However, the system was from the Soviet Era, and like many of the
military systems that carried over from this time period, it was not properly maintained.
A few well placed nuclear strikes have completely disabled the Dead Hand system and have kept
Russian protocols from instantly launching every remaining nuke they had at U.S. and NATO targets.
30 minutes after U.S. nuclear missiles are launched.
The Minuteman III ICBMs are about to strike their targets. The warheads are descending
toward the Earth at top speed. The remaining leaders of the Russian military use the A135
system, which once consisted of 68 nuclear-armed interceptors and phased-array radar stations, to
track and destroy incoming missiles. But the first strike by the United States has already decimated
countless bases and assets, rendering their defensive network almost completely inoperable.
The Russian Unified Air Defense System is still relaying information; the problem is that the
military personnel required to effectively launch nuclear countermeasures has been decimated by the
initial attack and by the war in Ukraine. However, two of the six Voronezh early warning radar
installations still remain and are connected to the S-400 and S-500 anti-missile systems.
The S-400 is designed to intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles with a range of up
to 250 miles. The upgraded version of these missiles has active radar to help them track
incoming targets. The Russian military launches several S-400 at the incoming Minuteman IIIs.
Several hit their targets and detonate. Russia also has next-generation S-500s,
but with a shortage of semiconductors and materials due to sanctions from the war in
Ukraine, the upgrading of their missile defense systems has yet to be completed.
The Minuteman III nukes hit their marks. Almost all of the major Russian targets that
the President of the United States ordered to be destroyed are now either vaporized or consumed by
fire. The Russian landscape is covered in radiation; its military is decimated. Key
Russian government and military leaders are no more. The mission was a success but at
what cost? A U.S. nuclear launch is something that the world hopes will never happen again.
Now watch “What If North Korea Launched a Nuclear Bomb (Minute
by Minute).” Or check out “This Is How You Actually Survive a Nuclear Attack.”