Was DEFCON 1 imposed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?
In the event of national emergencies, a series of seven different alert Conditions can be called. DEFCON 1-5 are ready-states of alertness declared by USSTRATCOM. The old SAC declared DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the only time up to that point in history we’ve been at that level (ready to strike targets in the Soviet Union). EMERGCONs are even greater states of war readiness, these are times when the USSTRATCOM commander has determined that a nuclear attack is underway or imminent, either against continental USA targets or US installations. During the 9/11 attack, we were only placed on DEFCON III, even though continental US was under attack.
