Defense Readiness Condition

DEFCON System

The United States military's graduated alert system for strategic threats and nuclear readiness, established in 1959

DEFCON Alert Levels

Five graduated levels of military readiness from normal peacetime to maximum alert

1

DEFCON 1

COCKED PISTOL

Nuclear war is imminent or has already begun

Maximum readiness. Immediate response.

Never publicly declared
2

DEFCON 2

FAST PACE

Next step to nuclear war

Armed forces ready to deploy and engage in less than six hours

Highest publicly reached (Cuban Missile Crisis)
3

DEFCON 3

ROUND HOUSE

Increase in force readiness above normal

Air Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes

Highest level normally seen in peacetime
4

DEFCON 4

DOUBLE TAKE

Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security

Above normal readiness

Enhanced intelligence gathering
5

DEFCON 5

FADE OUT

Normal peacetime readiness

Lowest state of readiness

Routine operations

DEFCON Levels Visualization

Official DEFCON chart showing escalation hierarchy

DEFCON levels diagram

Historical Activations

Cuban Missile Crisis

DEFCON 2
October 1962

Strategic Air Command elevated to highest publicly acknowledged level

13 days of nuclear brinkmanship

Yom Kippur War

DEFCON 3
October 1973

Worldwide alert due to Soviet intervention concerns

Demonstrated Cold War tensions

Operation Paul Bunyan

DEFCON 3
August 1976

Korean DMZ incident response

Regional escalation management

Gulf War

DEFCON 2
January 1991

Theater forces during Desert Storm

Modern warfare readiness

9/11 Attacks

DEFCON 3
September 2001

Response to terrorist attacks

Homeland security transformation

Cuban Missile Crisis: DEFCON 2

The closest the world has come to nuclear war - October 1962

1962 Cuban missile site

Timeline

  • • Oct 22: US forces worldwide to DEFCON 3
  • • Oct 24: Strategic Air Command to DEFCON 2
  • • Oct 27: Peak tension, U-2 shot down
  • • Oct 28: Soviet agreement to remove missiles
  • • Nov 15: Return to normal readiness

Significance

  • Highest publicly acknowledged DEFCON level in US history
  • Demonstrated the importance of graduated military response
  • Led to improved crisis communication mechanisms
  • Validated the DEFCON system's effectiveness

Current Status & Classification

Modern DEFCON operations and security considerations

Classification

  • Current DEFCON level is classified and not publicly disclosed
  • OSINT sources sometimes provide estimates based on global events
  • Different commands can be at different DEFCON levels simultaneously

Modern Relevance

  • Remains critical for nuclear deterrence strategy
  • Adapted for cyber and space warfare threats
  • Integrated with NATO and allied alert systems

Explore Related Systems

FPCON SystemHistorical Timeline