DEFCON – Defense Readiness Condition

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This article references parts of the story in my fiction books, The Meadow Protocol and book 2, The Brush, part of The Continuity Chronicles series. Available in my store for signed paperback and hard copies or from Amazon to include Kindle and Audible. DEFCON Explained: U.S. Military Readiness Levels and What They Mean DEFCON (Defense Readiness Condition) is a U.S. military alert system used to measure and signal the readiness posture of the armed forces, ranging from routine peacetime operations to imminent nuclear war. It is one of the most well-known—yet least publicly transparent—readiness frameworks in modern military doctrine. Origins and Purpose DEFCON was introduced during the Cold War as part of the broader LERTCON (Alert Condition) framework to standardize how the United States escalates military readiness across commands. It was formalized in the late 1950s by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ensuring consistent responses among organizations such as Strategic Air Command and NORAD. Unlike public warning systems, DEFCON is designed primarily for internal military coordination. Its purpose is to: Synchronize force posture across all services Signal escalation or de-escalation internally Enable rapid transition to continuity-of-government and nuclear command protocols if required How DEFCON Works DEFCON consists of five levels,...