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dalton99a

(81,513 posts)
Sat Oct 15, 2022, 12:52 PM Oct 2022

U.S. Has Made 'Dramatic Change' in Technology Used for Nuclear Code System

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-has-made-dramatic-change-in-technology-used-for-nuclear-code-system-11665758981
https://archive.ph/G65LJ

U.S. Has Made ‘Dramatic Change’ in Technology Used for Nuclear Code System
Revamped spy museum gives public access to one of nation’s most secretive subjects
By Daniella Cheslow
Updated Oct. 14, 2022 12:36 pm ET

...

The National Cryptologic Museum located outside Washington, D.C. is now home to several pieces of equipment that were in operation until just a few years ago to generate the codes the president could use to authorize the launch of nuclear weapons. The placement of the retired equipment in the National Security Agency’s museum reveals an upgrade to the classified system that is rarely talked about by government officials.

“We had the opportunity, during this time where we were down for Covid, when the entire country’s nuclear code system went through a dramatic change in our technology,” said museum director Vince Houghton. “And so we have on display the servers and machines that created the nuclear codes for the United States from the 1980s all the way through a couple years ago.”

The new exhibit “suggests to me that there’s been some dramatic improvements in the capability in what we have today, that nothing’s going to be compromised by showing you something that was used all the way through 2019,” said Larry Pfeiffer, director of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University.

On display are several pieces of equipment involved in the code generation, including a computer server called the DEC Alpha that generated secret keys a president would use to initiate a nuclear attack, and the MP37 machine that manufactured the physical Sealed Authenticator System cards with nuclear launch codes used to verify orders from Strategic Command to local commanders of nuclear weapons.

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U.S. Has Made 'Dramatic Change' in Technology Used for Nuclear Code System (Original Post) dalton99a Oct 2022 OP
Hmmm, maybe they had to Beetwasher. Oct 2022 #1
That was my first thought as well. Mister Ed Oct 2022 #2
Yup, Exactly Beetwasher. Oct 2022 #3
Yikes! That old system was over 30 years old. Very outdated technology. PSPS Oct 2022 #4
I hope. Putin is probably running his "test" of our old system captain queeg Oct 2022 #5
I wonder if MBS will summon Jared Kushner back to Saudi Arabia and demand a refund. LaMouffette Oct 2022 #6
I would hope so! 2naSalit Oct 2022 #7

Mister Ed

(5,935 posts)
2. That was my first thought as well.
Sat Oct 15, 2022, 01:07 PM
Oct 2022

And by publicly announcing it, and putting the old system on display, they may be serving notice to adversaries in possession of the old Intel that they no longer have the nuclear advantage that the old intel might have given them.

captain queeg

(10,201 posts)
5. I hope. Putin is probably running his "test" of our old system
Sat Oct 15, 2022, 01:25 PM
Oct 2022

When he runs his tactical test he might be in for a surprise. If he’s got the old codes time to lock the traitor up.

2naSalit

(86,636 posts)
7. I would hope so!
Sat Oct 15, 2022, 03:06 PM
Oct 2022

Geeze.

That should have been done last year.

I'm thinking that the information in question regarding the MAL stolen files had been noticed when that major pipeline was shut down in the south for several days. I'm guessing that was a test to see if the info was legit by whomever bought it.

I suspect that if we survive the next couple years, there will be a lot of new faces in Congress and n our federal prisons.

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