Last week, Politico ran a fascinating – and chilling – article about America’s nuclear weapons apparatus. While ostensibly an examination of Donald Trump’s fitness for office, the article succeeds most as an examination of the complex command and control structure through which any American President could order a nuclear strike.
I learned a lot, including some things it might be more comfortable not to know – like the President’s nearly monarchical authority over nuclear weaponry or the shockingly short time frame during which a President could be called upon to determine the life or death of civilization itself.
The author, Bruce Blair, has an almost clinical style – completely devoid of hyperbole – which somehow makes the text even more powerful and effective.
Strongly recommended as an excellent, if unsettling, read.