
These can include the following:ĭefense Emergency: A major military effort against U.S. Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security measuresĭefense department plans from the late 20th century include “EMERGCONs” which are a similar type of hierarchical threat level identification system related to the nation’s response to a missile attack or an attempted attack. Increase in force readiness above that required for normal readiness Nuclear war is imminent or has already startedĪrmed forces ready to deploy and engage in less than six hoursĪir Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22307683/defcon.jpg)
Five Levels Of DEFCONĭefense Ready Conditions, as mentioned above, range from five to one: Readiness condition The most severe DEFCON levels specifically mention nuclear weapons. DEFCON also indicates how severe a nuclear, biological, or chemical threat might be. (We’ll cover the individual levels below).ĭEFCON levels are not restricted to an indication of the readiness of troops, aircraft, ships, and armor. These levels, on a scale from one to five, indicate the highest level of threat and readiness for it to the lowest level of preparedness required for peacetime. Everyone looks to each other in a state of nervous suspense and paranoid accusation.Defense Ready Condition (DEFCON) Levels are a way of identifying the current threat level faced by the Department of Defense and the United States military. This is an extremely difficult task since launching an attack on the enemy exposes the positions of your own Ground Silos, Subs and Bombers the moment they launch nuclear weapons, making you extremely vulnerable and exposed to a crushing counter-attack.ĭesperate attempts must be made to form fast, tactical alliances, alliances that may at any moment break-down to become the treacherous and most deadly of betrayals. In order to win you must wipe out the enemy population and simultaneously disable the enemy's ability to retaliate against you. Points are awarded or lost depending on both the efficacy and thoroughness of your nuclear vendetta and the number of your own civilian deaths. Your mission is to successfully exterminate your enemy's civilian population whilst saving your own.

You play a General hidden deep within an underground bunker. Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film, Wargames, DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare.
