The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, a division of the US Department of Defense responsible for the development and implementation of military artificial intelligence systems, will not equip strategic weapons control centers with such technologies. This, according to Breaking Defense, was announced by the head of the center, Lieutenant General Jack Shenahan. People will always be responsible for launching ballistic missiles, he said.
According to the rules in force in the United States, the duty units of ground silo missile systems include five teams of two officers each. One such unit is responsible for launching 50 ballistic missiles. In the event that the country's leadership decides to launch a massive nuclear strike against the enemy, each unit receives a launch order with a launch code. After receiving the order, all five teams must compare the launch code it contains with the code already stored in the safes in the control centers.
If the codes converge, each officer must perform a certain sequence of actions, including the synchronous rotation of the keys (each duty officer has his own key) and pressing a key that will start the start program. In order for the launch of all 50 ballistic missiles to take place, it is necessary that at least two teams in the unit follow the launch sequence exactly. On submarines, the captain, mate and duty team are responsible for launching missiles. Here in the order comes the code from the safe, which stores the key to launch the missiles.
In time of peace, ballistic missiles target distant points in the ocean. During preparation for launch, the duty units redirect missiles to enemy targets. In the event that ballistic missiles are launched from submarines, then no more than 15 minutes pass from the moment the order is received until the carriers leave the mines of the submarines. In the case of launching ballistic missiles from ground mines, it must be carried out exactly at the time specified in the order. This is a simplified description of launching a nuclear missile strike.
According to Shenahan, the leadership of the Joint Center for Artificial Intelligence is in favor of tighter integration of systems with artificial intelligence into weapons: such systems can be useful for analyzing intelligence information, searching, recognizing and prioritizing targets and other similar tasks, including targeting weapons. In this case, the decision on the use of weapons must be made by a person. “This decision must be made solely by humans … nuclear weapons management,” Shenehen said.
At present, Russia has an automated system of combat control of a retaliatory nuclear strike "Perimeter". The system was developed in the USSR in the 1970s. The functional features of the system are classified; there are several versions of her work. According to one version, "Perimeter" is capable of launching ballistic missiles at the enemy in a fully automatic mode if it detects multiple nuclear strikes on Russian territory and loses contact with the country's leadership and military command.
According to another version, the system is only responsible for the guaranteed delivery of orders for a retaliatory missile strike in the face of a massive nuclear strike. According to this version, "Perimeter" launches command missiles, which for some time become a kind of signal repeaters. They provide communication with control points of strategic complexes in conditions of nuclear pollution and electronic suppression. The devices equipped with all ground-based missile systems, strategic missile submarines and bombers are responsible for receiving signals from missiles.
Vasily Sychev
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