A nuclear briefcase is a specially outfitted briefcase used to authorize the use of nuclear weapons and is usually kept near the leader of a nuclear weapons state at all times.

France

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the nuclear briefcase does not officially exist. A black briefcase called the "mobile base" follows the president in all his trips, but it is not specifically devoted to nuclear force.

India

India does not have a nuclear briefcase. In India, the Political Council of the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) must collectively authorize the use of nuclear weapons. The NCA Executive Council gives its opinion to the Political Council, which authorises a nuclear attack when deemed necessary. While the Executive Council is chaired by the National Security Advisor (NSA), the Political Council is chaired by the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. This mechanism was implemented to ensure that Indian nuclear weapons remain firmly in civilian control and that there exists a sophisticated command-and-control mechanism to prevent their accidental or unauthorised use. The Prime Minister is often accompanied by Special Protection Group personnel carrying a black briefcase. It contains foldable Kevlar protection

armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

, essential documents and has a pocket that can hold a pistol.

Russia

Russia's "nuclear briefcase" is code-named '' Cheget''. It "supports communication between senior government officials while they are making the decision whether to use nuclear weapons, and in its own turn is plugged into the special '' Kazbek'' communication system, which includes all the individuals and agencies involved in command and control of the Strategic Nuclear Forces." It is usually assumed, although not known with certainty, that the nuclear briefcases are also issued to the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

and the Chief of the General Staff.A 2nd Briefcase for Putin
By Alexander Golts, Moscow Times, 20 May 2008

United States

Operation

Briefcases in fiction

Cinema and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

have dealt with this subject various times.

Film and television

*'' The Dead Zone'' (1983): Johnny Smith, while shaking the hand of

US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

candidate Greg Stillson during an electoral meeting, has the prophetic vision of Stillson as

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

launching a pre-emptive nuclear attack against Russia by scanning his palm on a

computer terminal A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that can be used for entering data into, and transcribing data from, a computer or a computing system. Most early computers only had a front panel to input or display ...

to authorize the missile launch. *'' The Peacekeeper'' (1997) *'' Deterrence'' (1999): Fictional US President Walter Emerson uses his nuclear briefcase to authorize a nuclear attack on the city of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. A group of rogue veterans turned

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

manages to steal the briefcase * The Sum of All Fears (2002): Fictional US President uses Nuclear Football on board Air Force One, shows Football and code cards uses 2 man rule to authorize a nuclear attack on Russia. *''

24 (TV series) ''24'' is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series features an ensemble cast, with Kiefer Sutherland starring as American counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each s ...

'' (2005): Terrorists get their hands on the nuclear briefcase and steal a page from the book containing activation codes and

warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...

locations. *''

Swing Vote A swing vote is a vote that is seen as potentially going to any one of a number of candidates in an election, or, in a two-party system, may go to either of the two dominant political parties. It usually comes from voters who are 'undecided' or ...

'' (2008): The incumbent president attempts to impress a key voter by letting him hold the nuclear football. *''

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

'' (2010): The US President reacts to Russia's threatening nuclear posture by deploying the briefcase and authenticating his identity; shortly afterwards, a Soviet sleeper agent kills the presidential security detail and uses the briefcase to issue nuclear attack orders. *'' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'' (2011) *'' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' (2013) *'' White House Down'' (2013) *''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

'' (2015): In season one, episode 15, a team must return a nuclear football stolen sixteen years earlier during the course of a tactical operation. Pirates had already tried to launch a strike using an American nuclear silo based in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, but failed. *'' The Fate of the Furious'' (2017) * ''Madam Secretary'' (2018)

Literature

*''Langelot et la Clef de la guerre'', a children's

spy novel Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...

by Vladimir Volkoff. :The key used to fire nuclear missiles is stolen from the President of France.

References

External links

Shattered Shield. Cold-War Doctrines Refuse to Die
By David Hoffman,

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

, March 15, 1998 {{Bags Military communications Nuclear command and control United Kingdom nuclear command and control Cabinet Office (United Kingdom)