Computer Scientist Looks At ICBM Security 124
An anonymous reader writes "Computer security guru Matt Blaze takes a tour of a decommissioned ICBM complex in Arizona. Cool photos, insightful perspective on two man control, perimeter security, human factors and why we didn't blow ourselves up. From the article: 'The most prominent security mechanism at the Titan site, aside from the multiple layers of thick blast-proof entry doors and the fact that the entire complex is buried underground, was procedural: almost all activities required two person control. Everywhere outside of the kitchen, sleeping quarters and toilet were "no lone zones" where a second person had to be present at all times, even for on-duty members of the launch crews.'"
Re:This is a well-written, thoughtful article (Score:3, Interesting)
And from above . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
Great article. As someone who grew up in Cheyenne, WY near F.E. Warren AFB (an AFB without planes or a landing strip - you can guess the mission) the details of these monsters have always fascinated me. I'd hear stories from my friends whose dads worked either as the missile capsule crews themselves or were maintenance personnel.
If Slashdot readers are flying in and out of Denver International Airport (or any area around CO, NE, WY) you can look out the window and see the launch facilities from the air. Amid the farm lands and country roads, you can look down and see an outcrop of buildings and maybe a quonset hut or two, and then a separate concrete reinforced pad maybe a hundred yards away; the whole area carefully fenced. You can tell they don't quite fit in with everything else. The number of them is startling. Yeah, in fact a little scary. But the author is correct when he states that in the (then) USSR they had the exact same thing pointing at us. Gives me the willies still.
A Nuclear Family Vacation (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Soviet Union (Score:2, Interesting)
Extremely aggressive people are ironically suicidal most of the time. Personally, I think you would have to be to sign up for most military services. I would say that it's not that most of them have any particular grievance or target or political view, but that they have a need to lash out at something, even themselves.
A competent defense will take this into account. It's the philosophy behind Judo, for instance. Take your attacker's weaknesses into account. The fragility of his determination to do himself good rather than merely to do someone harm, and the mistakes this creates, is definitely a weakness.
The USSR's failure in Afghanistan is a textbook example. As is Hitler's opening the Eastern front and marching into the Russian winter. But it's deeper than just a strategic blunder. Consider the Stockholm syndrome, current suicides in the US armed forces, hell even Vietnam. Many aggressors will completely give up and psychologically join the other side at the slightest sign of resistance. In fact I imagine it's a useful evolutionary trait to run towards the victor in any conflict. But aggressors also often don't think through the consequences of their actions until it's too late, at which point cognitive dissonance sets in and they become regretful and despondent. It's easy to see how this individual trait can express itself at a national level, especially in a democracy. A nation can march itself right off a cliff in order to spite an enemy, almost as easily as an individual.
Obama Bi den -- coincidence or not, this example is just too eerie to ignore.
Personally, I'm not sure I agree that cold war spending risked the US in a significant way. We did a passable job of making defense investments as dual-use as possible. As wasteful as much of it was, America still has significant resources. I am however concerned about the social and legal changes that such a massive collective effort brought about in American society.
More on Titan I (Score:3, Interesting)
Star Trek was here (Score:2, Interesting)
Just an FYI but Star Trek First Contact was filmed here.
Re:Not classified, not secret, don't worry (Score:3, Interesting)
He was a colonel so I'm sure he knows exactly what he can and cannot talk about.
My ex-brother-in-law was the guy who sunk the Rainbow warrior (he who actually fixed the limpet-mine to the boat). Didn't stop him from boasting about it to his family as soon as he was back from the mission. At that point in time it wasn't even yet publicly known that it was a French secret op, so I'm pretty much sure that he wasn't supposed to talk about it. Yes, "secret" agents are only human too, and might be more loose-lipped than they should...
There was no security (Score:2, Interesting)
We have all seen a movie where they take out a card with multiple lines of 20 digit numbers and two people have to read theirs before a strike is authorized.
Turns out they were so paranoid that ALL the launch number were zeros. Everyone in power was so afraid of not being able to launch that they decided to short circuit the security. This came out a few years after the US and Russia stood down their nukes.
You can tour a Minuteman missle complex... (Score:3, Interesting)
...in South Dakota [nps.gov]. The cool thing is that the tours are small (6-8 people), and are led by folks who were actually in the bunkers when they were active. Fascinating stuff...like how the escape hatch actually led to a spot under the parking lot asphalt.
I've been inside one of the abandoned sites! (Score:3, Interesting)
I live within 4 miles of one of the Titan II sites in SE Arizona. They are up and down the1-10 and 1-19 freeway from Tucson. When they were decommissioned, the silos were filled with debris and cement and permanently disabled, the control rooms and Blast rooms were not. Many of the sites were sold to people who later covered them up. Some didn't do such a good job and I was able to find one that afforded access, although you had to shimmy down a small shaft about 30 feet to get to the Control center and the crew quarters. I wasn't the first to do this and there were some pics on flicker that were taken by other "explorers".
One of the things that struck me was the extreme solitude you got inside one of these. All of the instrumentation and most of the furnishings have long ago been stripped out. There were lots of electronic cabinets and a few desirable computer racks (including a nice DEC PDP rack I could have used for my PDP-11)
The Titan II ICBM's were large a liquid fueled and were extremely dangerous. The Titan II was used to launch the Gemini capsules in the 60's. There was a greater danger due to a hydrazine explosion (like the one one in Arkansas) than by a nuclear explosion. Still, I shudder to thing of a 9 megaton nuclear warhead parked 4 miles from my house...for 20 years!! The Titan II ICBM had the distinction of carrying the largest nuclear warhead by a missile...ever! Later the one big warhead were replaced by several smaller mirv warheads.
I remember after crawling through the access shaft and walking through the terrible dark control center and then using a ladder to get to the crew quarters, I could have imagined what it was to be working in one of these. Someone else had that feeling also and inscribed by one of the places where the bunks may have been, I saw this graffiti written on the cement wall of the bunker:
"You've just launched a motherfukin nuclear missile and started World War III and doomed mankind...It's Miller Time!"
Re:And the Futuristic Safety Mechanism Is ... (Score:2, Interesting)
I was trained while in the US Navy to protect nuclear weapons. We had two-person control. We were also armed with Colt .45s. 1 each. Two guards stood watch at 1 entrance. If there was another entrance, two more guards were posted. Anyone entering had to have two-person control, be on the access list, have a valid reason for being in the area to perform work signed off by the Weapons Officer, XO and CO (if not even a few more persons).
Anyone believed to be causing harm to the weapons or interfering with the guards to prevent them from doing their duties was to be shot. Dead. The guards had that authority.
It was a responsibility we all took very seriously. If maintenance had to be performed on a weapon or equipment protecting the weapon all persons signing off were usually present to oversee the maintenance that was taking place. And, two more armed guards were used to be present in the area where maintenance was performed. They also knew how to perform the maintenance themselves so no funny stuff could be performed.
Something tells me that those keys were kept in a safe place and only above that cabinet for display. If someone brought a 20 lb sledge near one of my weapons, my other guard and myself would have drawn weapons and *aimed* at that person. If they refused to put down the sledge and made motions to the effect that they intend to harm the weapon or equipment protecting the weapons I would have shot them dead. I would not have lost any sleep over the matter.
All that being said, two-person control is a major pain in the ass and it is designed to be. It ensures, as much as feasibly possible, that the people involved treat the weapons, equipment and personnel protecting the weapons with the highest regard because failure to protect the weapons constitutes an immediate and grave danger to the United States and its people.