Readiness Conditions — Hierarchy & Relationships
The U.S. military and federal government operate a layered family of readiness condition systems — each governing a different domain, all ultimately nested within a single umbrella framework. This page is the reference index for that hierarchy.
These conditions are classified. Current levels are not publicly available and are not published or estimated in the Daily Threat Report. They are documented here so readers understand the framework that PREP-CON and COMCON were designed to complement at the civilian level.
LERTCON is the umbrella. Every other military condition nests within it. COGCON governs the civilian government layer in parallel. FPCON, CYBERCON, and the others are domain-specific subsets that escalate in synchronization with the top-level conditions.
Each condition governs a distinct domain. All are classified; current levels are not publicly available.
| Condition | Type | What It Governs | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
Alert Condition |
Military | Umbrella framework integrating all U.S. and allied readiness from peacetime to nuclear war. All other military conditions nest within it. | President / Joint Chiefs of Staff |
Defense Readiness Condition |
Military | Military force readiness. 5 (peacetime) → 1 (imminent nuclear war). The most publicly recognized U.S. military readiness scale. | JCS / President via combatant commands |
Continuity of Government Condition |
Civil Gov | How federal civilian agencies disperse and operate during threats to Washington D.C. Civilian analog: CONCON. | President via White House Military Office / FEMA |
EMERGCON Emergency Condition |
Military | Activated during a major attack, integrating military and civilian emergency responses at maximum readiness. | President or unified commander via NMCC |
Force Protection Condition |
Military | Physical security at military installations. Normal → Alpha → Bravo → Charlie → Delta. Some changes are publicly announced. | Base commanders per USNORTHCOM / JCS |
Cyber Operations Condition |
Cyber | DoD cyber readiness. Focuses on advanced persistent threats and protecting nuclear command-and-control systems. | JCS via U.S. Cyber Command / NSA |
CPCON Cyberspace Protection Condition |
Cyber | Cybersecurity posture across DoD information networks. 5 (routine) → 1 (critical). Companion to CYBERCON at the network-operations level. | U.S. Cyber Command / DISA |
WATCHCON Watch Condition |
Regional | Indo-Pacific threat monitoring from routine observation to imminent threat. Intelligence-driven. | INDOPACOM / JCS / DIA |
REDCON Readiness Condition |
Military | Tactical unit deployment timeline. REDCON 5 = longest lead time; REDCON 1 = immediate action. | Unit commanders / higher command |
NC3CON Nuclear C3 Condition |
Nuclear | Readiness of systems used to authorize nuclear weapons use. 4 (normal operations) → 1 (employment). | President / JCS via NMCC / USSTRATCOM |
SIPRNet Secret IP Router Network |
Network | Classified IP network carrying SECRET and below traffic across DoD and federal agencies. Infrastructure, not a readiness scale. | DoD / DIA / NSA |
Alongside this government hierarchy sit the civilian readiness conditions — PREP-CON, COMCON, WX-CON, SWX-CON, and CONCON — assessed and published by Fortune Favors the Prepared. They are designed to complement the government framework at the household and community level, using the same scale convention (5 = steady, 1 = maximum urgency).
See the Readiness Conditions for Preparedness page for the full civilian conditions index — PREP-CON, COMCON, WX-CON, SWX-CON, and CONCON.