Next US President will have to carry the 'nuclear football' and 'biscuit' at all times
The free world is about to get a new leader and there is a very real chance that it could be Donald Trump once again as the 2024 US presidential election nears its end.
But regardless of who wins out of the controversial Republican candidate and his opponent, Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris, the 47th President of the United States will be handed something called the 'nuclear football'. And to make the terminology that little bit stranger, being given that gives an incoming president something known as the 'biscuit'.
While it might feel like a fever dream of words, the reality to them is a lot more sinister, serious, and very real.
What is the 'nuclear football?'
More than 150 million votes are set to be cast in the 2024 presidential election, which is being held on Tuesday, 5 November.
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With Trump looking to get back in to the Oval Office after losing out to incumbent President Joe Biden, it is Biden's VP up against him as Harris looks to make the step up and take over from her current boss.
No one can call the election, with polls sitting slap bang in the middle of the margin of error. So it's anybody's game, with the world watching on and holding its breath.
Whether we have a President Harris or Trump after all is said and done, one thing that the Biden administration will hand over is the 'nuclear football'.
It's nothing to do with the NFL, though, with it a million miles away from the gridiron or Super Bowl Sunday. Instead, it is a very real black briefcase containing incredibly powerful items should a president want to conduct a nuclear strike.
'Nuclear football' and the 'biscuit'
When in the White House, the nuclear football is put to one side given the very real operation centre that exists within it when it comes to launching a nuclear strike.
But outside of these fixed command centres, the POTUS must, at all times, travel with a mobile command-and-control system.
Inside the nuclear football is the Presidential Emergency Satchel; a number of codes that the president would have to read allowed to confirm their identity to military personnel in the Pentagon.
The nuclear football also has a list of optional plans for pre-emptive or retaliatory nuclear strikes; a list of sites where the president could safely stay during a nuclear conflict; and a description of procedures for using the country’s Emergency Alert System.
Also included is a plastic card known as the 'biscuit'. This is a series a Gold Codes the POTUS must consult to launch a nuclear strike. These codes differ to the codes to launch anything from the nuclear arsenal.
Using the biscuit, the president would have to read them allowed to confirm their identity to military personnel in the National Military Command Center.
Launching a nuke
The actual process needed to launch a nuclear weapon is a lot more thought out than you might think.
Before the nuclear football is activated, the POTUS must launch a conference with military and civilian advisers to making sure such an act would not violate international law, meaning the president has to jump through hoops regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.
All in all, there are three nuclear footballs. One is carried by the POTUS and another by the vice president, who would assume command if the president were to die or no longer be of sound mind.
The third nuclear football is in the White House at all times.
When it comes to Trump or Harris being given the presidential nuclear football - something they've both already possessed in their former and current roles, respectively - it is a process that is usually undertaken shortly before the inauguration ceremony where they officially become the next president of the United States.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Tom Earnshaw