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Thoughts on Defcon Levels

Grey Hound

Active member
So, i know we don't like "the other site" for a number of reasons, but one thing i noticed on that sight that i thought might be a good idea here is having separate levels for different parts of the world. Maybe a general level, and a set of regional levels. We could also have specific levels for specific situations. Would this confuse people, or help. I don't know. Im just sitting up at 09:30Z and thinking too much.
 
Yeah I think unnecessary complications. Especially when the chances of a regional nuclear confrontation is highly unlikely. Even if there was it would probably last minutes to hours before allies fire off = ww3. If allies and MAD still actually exists???๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคฃ
Tbh we likely wouldn't even know because the searchable is getting choppered as soon as anything is going to happen.
Defcon is hosted CONUS or???
 
Tbh we likely wouldn't even know because the searchable is getting choppered as soon as anything is going to happen.
Defcon is hosted CONUS or???
To be honest @Yingyang the us government wouldn't want the average person communicating with the outside world so we'd likely cut contact with everyone besides direct conus because it would create protests to see a nuked city or a bunch of dead kids.

It'd piss people off and cause riots.
 
There would be no hiding such event. A nuke goes off everyone and their mother will know and there will be no stopping the video or photos of the aftermath reaching the general population.
"Word by mouth" (rumint) would already be practically instant in this day and age, too. When people need to know something it doesn't really take long at all for them to find out.
 
There would be no hiding such event. A nuke goes off everyone and their mother will know and there will be no stopping the video or photos of the aftermath reaching the general population.
How are we going to get a video if any nation cuts the Sea-cable? the data that we view is transported through that cable, not the big ass towers. Data centers (T1-T2-T3 are linked via cables/ Towers). We can't connect across the world like that, so we use a sea-cable to maintain a good connection which is pushed into a data center, and distributed via towers.

Sigint could be good in this case to get word and mouth from people cross world via signals, if our or any other government doesn't prevent it.

Sure media can present it to us, if that's not cut or silenced (unlike...you know...the pentagon papers).
 
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How are we going to get a video if any nation cuts the searchable? the data that we view is transported through that cable, not the big ass towers. Data centers (T1-T2-T3 are linked via cables/ Towers). We can't connect across the world like that, so we use a sea-cable to maintain a good connection which is pushed into a data center, and distributed via towers.

Sure media can present it to us, if that's not cut or silenced (unlike...you know...the pentagon papers).
Satellite communication from all surrounding areas that would not have been immediately affected by any EMP (not very far). Also, various other methods. A Mexican may cross the border illegally and tell the tail, and with pretty much any standing phone or internet infrastructure in the US... that message will be heard practically instantly. Especially because people will be watching, because they will also have immediately learned of said cutoff.
Mushroom clouds are absolutely massive. And the internet is made in a way that for the most part, its gonna take a LOT of cut lines to stop information from reaching another country, and it still sometimes comes out of China, and its hard-nearly impossible to even access the Chinese internet.
You just can't hide these kind of things, a few agencies monitor nuclear explosions, we have satellite, underground, radio communications. We have fast, fuel efficient cars. Many people cross the border every day. Most would believe it happened and be suspicious. Most Americans do not like their government.

You can't just hide a nuclear explosion. It would be like "The British are coming":
 
Hope I'm not sharing info I shouldn't. But yes generally that is what made me favor the move to DEFCON 4 and other staffers. Pipelines not so much imo.
Thank you. I personally think it is the right move: Things could get sticky, quickly.
 
How are we going to get a video if any nation cuts the Sea-cable? the data that we view is transported through that cable, not the big ass towers. Data centers (T1-T2-T3 are linked via cables/ Towers). We can't connect across the world like that, so we use a sea-cable to maintain a good connection which is pushed into a data center, and distributed via towers.

Sigint could be good in this case to get word and mouth from people cross world via signals, if our or any other government doesn't prevent it.

Sure media can present it to us, if that's not cut or silenced (unlike...you know...the pentagon papers).
Obviously not for video, but very important to have a good shortwave radio receiver. They are relatively inexpensive, coupled with a small long wire antenna, you should initially be able reliable reports from most areas of the world.
 
Hope I'm not sharing info I shouldn't. But yes generally that is what made me favor the move to DEFCON 4 and other staffers. Pipelines not so much imo.
Pipeline, no. Referendum, not as much as people like to think. There were a host of variables that go into a DEFCON Level. It is impossible to say "This was the reason".
 
Deciding the DEFCON level is a bit like baking a cake in my opinion.
You chuck in some world tension
add a dash of military movements
sprinkle in some provocative statements
Then, you look at the mixture and think "What kind of cake is this mixture going to make? What DEFCON level does it look like?"
 
Deciding the DEFCON level is a bit like baking a cake in my opinion.
You chuck in some world tension
add a dash of military movements
sprinkle in some provocative statements
Then, you look at the mixture and think "What kind of cake is this mixture going to make? What DEFCON level does it look like?"
At the end of the day there's just too much complexity to cram into a single number. It's elementary information theory - the DEFCON level conveys exactly 2.25 bits of information. Even if - let's say - you create four separate DEFCON levels (e.g. for Russia/UA, China/Taiwan, NK/SK and India/Pak), that only gives you 9 bits.

You cannot possibly describe the state of global politics using just 9 bits of information. The very idea is ludicrous.

Personally, I tend to ignore the numbers and focus on the meat of the problem(s).
 
The thing is, the number is there for people who don't stay plugged into what's going on or don't have time to know all the ins and outs.
Also, having multiple numbers is more work and could cause confusion. If people want multiple levels they can go elsewhere.
 
Deciding the DEFCON level is a bit like baking a cake in my opinion.
You chuck in some world tension
add a dash of military movements
sprinkle in some provocative statements
Then, you look at the mixture and think "What kind of cake is this mixture going to make? What DEFCON level does it look like?"
Well now I want cake. Who wants me to make a DEFCON cake? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค”
 
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