The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

's Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting System (REACT) is a modification of the

LGM-30 Minuteman The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and re ...

launch control centers (LCC's) that provides continual monitoring and rapid retargeting of

Minuteman Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

ICBMs. It integrates communication systems and weapon systems into a single console. There is now 1 launch key and three cooperative switches that must be turned simultaneously by the two missile combat crew members to initiate a launch vote. Prior to REACT, there were two keys. Missile Combat Crew on alert

History

The previous Minuteman III command and control system, designated Command Data Buffer or CDB, required over 20 hours to retarget the entire Minuteman force and 30 minutes to retarget a single ICBM. REACT system needs less than 10 hours to retarget all missiles, while individual missiles can be retargeted in matter of minutes.AAFM Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 15, June 2007, p. 8 REACT was previously known as the ''ICBM integrated Electronics Upgrade'' (I2EU) REACT incorporates a secure communication link between LCC and Higher Authority ( SACCS) to receive configuration and targeting data without any need for manual data input. Automatic processing and decoding of Emergency War Orders is another feature which reduces missile crews' workload. The REACT upgrades began around 1994. All Minuteman LCC's were upgraded.

References

{{Reflist United States nuclear command and control

History

See also

References