Today, the presidential "nuclear button" performs exclusively decorative functions.
You've probably all heard the phrase "nuclear suitcase". A symbol of the military power of the two superpowers, and perhaps the only one that survived since the Cold War, a thing that is constantly guarded and top secret. However, using this expression, most of us have absolutely no idea what, in fact, we are talking about - is it really a suitcase or just a figure of speech, what size it is, what is inside, how, finally, the notorious button works. All these are absolute secrets, which are not customary to tell anyone and never. In addition, in the case of the suitcase, the circle of initiates is extremely narrow, which additionally complicates the collection of information about it. Today we will try to tell you as much as possible about this mysterious object: based on the results of our investigation, you will learn everything about the nuclear suitcase that you can really know about it without danger to life.
The first publication of the photo of the suitcase was almost recognized as a disclosure of state secrets
In the USSR, as well as in Russia, a nuclear briefcase is a scepter and orb in one bottle. The former chief bodyguard of President Boris Yeltsin, Alexander Korzhakov, recalls how at one time his boss received this relic from the hands of the union head Mikhail Gorbachev: “Actually, an official ceremony was planned for handing over the nuclear suitcase: Boris Nikolayevich wanted to invite journalists and publicly capture the historical event. since the presidents of the USSR and Russia were, to put it mildly, strained, Gorbachev refused to personally hand over the superpower symbol to Yeltsin. At some point, General Boldyrev just appeared with the special communications officers. He called from Yeltsin's reception and said: "We are with you." …
To my surprise, the suitcase turned out to be the most ordinary, seemingly rather cheap case made of hard plastic. The special communications officer very quickly told Yeltsin how to use it, while he did not say anything abstruse, the instructions were set out in the simplest language. One of those present photographed the moment when the suitcase fell into the hands of Boris Nikolayevich. Subsequently, he presented this photo to some journalist, who published it in the newspaper. Then there was even a semblance of a scandal - it occurred to someone that secret information had been disclosed, although there was nothing on the card except for a case similar to those with which the soldiers are being demobilized>.
The system developed for Leonid Brezhnev was as simple as possible
In fact, the main symbol of Russia, the badge of honor of a nuclear power and the memory of the greatness of the USSR is not just a suitcase, but an automated control system for Russia's strategic nuclear forces "Kazbek". This system, part of which, in fact, is the notorious case, was created at the Scientific Research Institute of Automatic Equipment, which was headed by Academician Vladimir Semenikhin. The general customer - the Ministry of Defense - was represented by the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff, Colonel-General Ivan Nikolaev. The method of working with the suitcase when traveling on foot, in a car, in an airplane, the rules for equipping the places of permanent residence of the head of state, as well as how the suitcase should be used, what kind of equipment it needs, how many people will have access to the system - all this was developed by the designer one of the subsystems of the ACS,State Prize Laureate Valentin Golubkov.
The system was developed at the height of the Cold War specifically for the then leader of the country Leonid Brezhnev - it had to be extremely simple so as not to frighten the elderly general secretary. General Nikolayev personally selected the first "suitcase carriers" - officers who should always be near the head of state. For the role of "porter", only professionals were selected who had a representative appearance and an easygoing character, because they had to constantly be with the head of state, even in his family. The main problem with the selection - every second candidate, seeing a general, marshal or member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, was desperately shy. At the same time, General Nikolaev clearly ordered: remove the unstable from the system. If a person is confused at training, what to expect from him at a crucial moment?
The combat readiness of the "nuclear button" is checked from time to time by test launches of missiles
“I have repeatedly seen a nuclear briefcase, or a“button,”as it is also called,” Alexander Korzhakov continues his story. “In addition to the briefcase, there is also a special communications machine that almost always accompanies the president., special stationary equipment was also installed. So the "nuclear button" is a conditional name. In fact, this is a special software device that allows you to go through the satellite to the command post of the General Staff, and to reserve points. It is from there that the order to launch rockets.
The "button" is served by a special elite unit of the Ministry of Defense: on any trips Yeltsin was accompanied by two or three special communications officers. Actually, one could cope, but you never know what can happen to a person - the stomach aches, the temperature will jump … They were all dressed traditionally in naval uniforms. Previously, they wore a combined arms, but when Minister Grachev changed his uniform in the army, the novelty did not appeal - there was something of the Wehrmacht in it. As a result, we decided to choose for these guys a stylish and strict uniform of a naval submarine officer. They immediately stood out from other military men: many envied them, believed that they were fattening under the president. But this is not true: the officers had nothing but hassle and scanty travel allowances with their suitcase.
They lived in the same regime as the employees of the Presidential Security Service. Formally, it was I who gave permission which of these officers to raise, who to include in the group or exclude from it. On business trips, they were always allocated a room next to the presidential one, and on the plane they had their own equipped place. It was a bit crowded: a tiny room for three, which was located behind Yeltsin's dining room. However, despite the difficult working conditions, the group was still considered elite. Sometimes at night I checked how it works: one of them does not necessarily sleep, is on duty with the device, keeps it in constant readiness. By the way, several times we checked how the nuclear briefcase works: the chief gave the order, and missiles were launched in Kamchatka. Everything worked great.
But in general, few people know that the president himself cannot do anything special with his suitcase, because in fact there are three such cases. One - at the head of state, one - at the Minister of Defense, one - at the Chief of the General Staff. Each such impromptu console must send a coded signal: only if three necessary confirmations are received, will the equipment work in the missile silo. So the launch of a nuclear warhead requires serious coordination>.
During heart surgery, Yeltsin did not even give the briefcase to Chernomyrdin
By the end of 1983, the nuclear briefcase had acquired its current appearance by almost 100%. It weighed about 11 kilograms, had a very modern design for that time, and at the same time there was not a single imported element in it. At the first demonstration of this miracle of technology, an unpleasant embarrassment occurred: when the prototype was delivered to the Kremlin, the head of state's reception room decided to test it first, but the system worked … only on the windowsill. It turned out that when working in the "walking mode" the suitcase should "catch" on the nearest antenna, but there was no one in the reception of the general secretary. It's good that the secretary general was busy then and could not accept the developers, otherwise they would not have avoided serious problems.
10 years later, a new misfortune happened to the suitcase - in 1993 its technical resource simply expired. The operation of "Kazbek" began in the "patching holes" mode, and difficulties immediately arose. Firstly, in the system, as we have already said, only domestic parts were used, and almost all microelectronic production with the collapse of the USSR remained abroad. It was strictly forbidden to use imported elements - you never know what bugs will be there. Secondly, there are almost no specialists left alive who know all the subtleties of the "suitcase" case and are able to cope with any breakdown.
And finally, thirdly, the very concept of a suitcase became outdated: according to Soviet military doctrine, one had to be constantly ready for a massive nuclear attack by the enemy. The flight time of the American Pershing-2 to our border was only 7 minutes - during this period it was necessary to fix the start of enemy missiles, make a decision and manage to strike retaliation on enemy territory. Now we no longer wait for a nuclear avalanche from overseas, so by and large a suitcase with its capabilities of "massive retaliation" is simply not required.
As a result, now it plays mainly a symbolic and decorative role of the main symbol of the head of state: no one has thought about using it for its intended purpose for a long time. As the former deputy head of the Presidential Security Service Gennady Zakharov told us, Yeltsin did not even hand him over to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin when he replaced the president during heart surgery. The porters just sat in the hospital lobby, and as soon as Boris Nikolayevich came to his senses, the presidential toy was brought into his ward. What would happen if the United States had inflicted a nuclear strike on our territory at that moment, it is better not to think at all.
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In the USA, a suitcase is called a ball.
Of course, not only the Russian president has a nuclear briefcase: the president of the United States also constantly carries such a device with him. However, the American missile control panel is more like not a case, but a bag - on the sidelines it is called not a suitcase, but a soccer ball, hinting at the resemblance to the projectile for the American version of this game. Behind the rounded folds of black leather is a heavy-duty titanium box measuring 45x35x25 cm, which is locked with a combination lock and attached to the wrist of the assistant to the president with a bracelet made of special steel.
The "soccer ball" not only stores the president's personal code (a plastic "authorization plate" that can be printed out to find a special code for activating the American missile arsenal), but also a thirty-page instruction on what to do to the head of the United States in the event of a nuclear war. In particular, it contains a list of secret bunkers where the president can sit out.
The officers who carry the "ball" behind the president are selected from four branches of the armed forces and the US Coast Guard, each of them must pass the most difficult screening and receive the highest security clearance "White Yankee". All of them are armed with Beretta pistols and have the right to open fire to kill without warning.
Of course, in the United States, the "ball" also performs ritual functions: it passes from one president to another on the day of the inauguration. Immediately after that, the new owner of the White House receives a special half-hour lecture on how to use the contents of the suitcase.
