# Current DEFCON Status? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722 "2006-01-12T22:12:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drbuzz0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@drbuzz0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbuzz0)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/1 "2006-01-12T22:12:36Z")
Hello. I was wondering if there was any site on the internet that provided the current DEFCON (Defense Condition) status for the United States. I don’t believe it is a seceret, because I’ve heard it reported before. Also, it would be hard to keep seceret, given the number of military personel involved. Please note: I am not looking for the Department Of Homeland Security Terror Level. I know where I can find that. Thanks Steve ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/2 "2006-01-12T22:14:53Z")
If it was anything but 5, CNN’d be all over it. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/3 "2006-01-12T22:21:05Z")
From searching around it seems that the Norad website ( [http://www.norad.mil/](http://www.norad.mil/) ) used to openly show the current DEFCON status but no longer does. ---
**Author:** ![drbuzz0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@drbuzz0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbuzz0)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/4 "2006-01-13T02:29:32Z")
Apparently it was four durring the initial invasion of Iraq. From what I understand it does go to four every once in a while. Three extremely rare though. And two only was hit once. ---
**Author:** ![StewieGriffin420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@StewieGriffin420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StewieGriffin420)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/5 "2006-01-13T02:49:48Z")
> [@drbuzz0](#): > > Apparently it was four durring the initial invasion of Iraq. From what I understand it does go to four every once in a while. Three extremely rare though. And two only was hit once. Not to hijack the op thread, but is there a site that lists the times the defcon condition was raised? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/6 "2006-01-13T03:47:39Z")
> [@drbuzz0](#): > > Apparently it was four durring the initial invasion of Iraq. From what I understand it does go to four every once in a while. Three extremely rare though. And two only was hit once. And one is full nuclear war, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/7 "2006-01-13T04:02:04Z")
From what I recall, _two_ is nuclear war, one is “nuclear war that the US have lost”. The descriptive names for three, two and one are “Cocked Pistol”, “Big Noise”, and “Fade Out”, which doesn’t leave very much to the imagination. 🙂 In the film “Crimson Tide”, the order to launch the missles also informs the submarine that the DEFCON is 2, not 1. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/8 "2006-01-13T04:32:06Z")
This is what I found: > [@](#): > > DEFCON 5: Normal peacetime readiness > DEFCON 4: Normal, increased intelligence and strengthened security measures > DEFCON 3: Increase in force readiness above normal readiness > DEFCON 2: Further Increase in force readiness, but less than maximum readiness > DEFCON 1: Maximum force readiness. > > EMERGCONs are national level reactions in response to ICBM (missiles in the air) attack. By definition, other forces go to DEFCON 1 during an EMERGCON. > > DEFENSE EMERGENCY: Major attack upon U.S. forces overseas, or allied forces in any area, and is confirmed either by the commander of a unified or specified command or higher authority or an overt attack of any type is made upon the United States and is confirmed by the commander of a unified or specified command or higher authority. > > AIR DEFENSE EMERGENCY: Air defense emergency is an emergency condition, declared by the Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command. It indicates that attack upon the continental United States, Canada, or US installations in Greenland by hostile aircraft or missiles is considered probable, is imminent, or is taking place. “Maximum Readiness” is (or was) a nice little euphemism for deploying strategic nuclear assets. DEFCON 5 is an absolutely peaceful state with absolutely no impending nuclear threat issues. DEFCON 4 is like DEFCON 5, only with a bit more alertness and readiness. DEFCON 3 involves some active level of conflict. DEFCON 2 involves more pressing levels of conflict, with plausible nuclear issues in play. DEFCON 1 involves an actual nuclear threat and/or nuclear response. Take this with a grain of salt or two, as I couldn’t find a non-blog, non-Wikipedia source for this. But these definitions were consistently displayed across multiple sources, which is good for … something. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/9 "2006-01-13T04:36:15Z")
Having typed all that, we’re likely at DEFCON 4 or 5 at the moment, and of course the actual nuclear assets are always in high alert. DEFCON says more about the probability of nuclear weapons play rather than conventional war or terrorism. DEFCON is really a measure of the Cold War, characterised by the bilateral US-USSR weapons race. Outside of that, it has little relevance, though there is use for it in the current multilateral weapons situation. Post Cold War, nukes can come into play in many new ways, and from a more robust set of sources than the old USSR. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/10 "2006-01-13T13:27:55Z")
> [@StewieGriffin420](#): > > Not to hijack the op thread, but is there a site that lists the times the defcon condition was raised? A question that [was asked once before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=299597), about a year ago, but without anyone managing to come up with an answer. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/12 "2013-04-18T06:45:29Z")
Resurrecting a 7 year old thread with a link to some kind of bogus status (we’re at war!) from a domain that seems to be some sort of promotional thing. Looks spammy to me. I’ll report it and let the mods figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/13 "2013-04-18T15:50:25Z")
I give it a SPAMCON Level 3. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/14 "2013-04-18T16:01:24Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > I give it a SPAMCON Level 3. > > 😃 That’s putting the Mods. on elevated spam alert, and Lynn calls Coudin Vinnie right? SPAMCON2 calls for raising Marley to high alert; SPAMCON1 would involve deployinhg Zotti. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/15 "2013-04-18T16:07:22Z")
Didn’t we have a simplified color chart for this? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/16 "2013-04-18T16:22:21Z")
I thought SPAMCON1 was when the goat would really earn his oats? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-defcon-status/339722/17 "2013-04-18T16:25:10Z")
The spammer has been banned. Since this thread is so old, I’m going to close it.