Covid 19 coronavirus: why ‘doomsday’ nuclear planes have taken to the skies in the US

America’s doomsday planes are in the air following news that the nation’s commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, has Covid-19.

Two US Navy E-6B mercury nuclear warfare command posts were observed in flight Friday, one off each US coast. They were initiating the “Take Charge and Move Out” (TACAMO) defense protocol, essentially dispersing the command and communications facilities necessary to control the US nuclear arsenal.

These aircraft are activated by the Pentagon when deemed necessary to communicate with the secret submarine nuclear missiles, stealth bombers, and missile silos of the US Navy.

The move underscores the possible seriousness of the situation.

The President of the United States is also the commander-in-chief of the nation’s armed forces, including its nuclear forces. The incapacitation of the person occupying this position could be seen as an opportunity by potential belligerents.

Covid-19, which has so far killed 200,000 US citizens, is particularly deadly among older people. President Trump is 74 years old.

This morning it was announced that she is already experiencing “mild symptoms.”

The two E-6Bs appeared on flight tracking systems 30 minutes before Trump announced their condition.

It is no coincidence that they have seen the planes.

Military aircraft and ships often fly with their radio identification transponders turned off to avoid being tracked and identified.

If it is on, it is because the plane wants to be seen.

By being seen, the US Pentagon is sending a subtle but clear message that it is prepared for any eventuality.

Doomsday Planes

Based on the fuselages of the Boeing 707 aircraft, the E-6B aircraft have been built to be particularly resistant to electronic warfare and the electromagnetic pulse generated by nuclear explosions.

About 16 of the aircraft were delivered starting in 1986. The fleet underwent a major upgrade in 2006.

Your job is to go on the air in times of crisis. But an unknown number is also being held high at any given time.

In the event of war, your job is to convey the orders of the president and the secretary of defense directly to the nuclear deterrent force. At the heart of this force are the Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines that lurk deep in the world’s oceans. Its immense nuclear missile charges constantly threaten the prospect of a devastating retaliatory strike.

“I would expect them to show up if it tests positive,” US open source intelligence aficionado Tim Hogan tweeted with flight-tracking maps identifying flights.

“It’s the plane that has the ability to order the death of everyone on the ground if someone strikes the United States with nuclear weapons in a first strike. It can talk to our underwater missile submarines even if DC is gone.”

Talking to submarines in the depths of the water is not an easy task.

Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio can reach up to 20 meters below the ocean’s surface. But its transmission speed is very slow and requires large, high-power transmitters for transmission. To operate this equipment, the E-6B must unwind a kilometer-long cable to act as an antenna.

Command and control

The Constitution of the United States deals with the possibility that a president is physically or mentally incapable of fulfilling his functions. The role “will fall to the vice president,” he says.

What is not clear is how the judgment of “delegating” should be made, or by whom.

The 25th Amendment, enacted in 1967, is supposed to provide a framework for this decision. But it didn’t start in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan was shot. For ten days, Reagan was on the brink of death. But its key powers were not transferred to Vice President George HW Bush.

This has raised more questions about how they would strip themselves of presidential powers in an emergency. The 25th Amendment calls for a statement signed by the incumbent president, or if “the vice president and most of the top officials of executive departments or any other body that Congress may by law provide” a similar statement.

Congress and vice presidents, however, may hesitate to act for fear of being accused of trying to seize power.

The resulting power vacuum, especially in the role of Commander-in-Chief of the United States, potentially poses a strategic risk in times of international and domestic crisis.