The DEFCON ( the Defense Readiness Condition) was first implemented by the United States Armed Forces on October 2, 1959. It is an alert posture used the the Armed Forces of the United States. DEFCON has five graduated levels of readiness for the US military.
DEFCON stands for Defense Condition, and it is used by the United States military to indicate the level of alertness and readiness of the country's armed forces. The DEFCON level ranges from 5 (lowest) to 1 (highest). Each level corresponds to a specific threat level and triggers certain actions and measures.
DEFCON, or defense readiness condition, is not a national status for the United States. Different branches of the military can be under different DEFCON levels. DEFCON levels are controlled by the President and the Secretary of Defense when ordering to raise or lower the level across all US Armed Forces; however, branch leaders and administration can also individually raise or lower DEFCON levels of their respective branches. DEFCON 2 is the second-highest level of alert readiness for the United States Armed Forces, and conjointly describes an emergency defense situation in which nuclear war is near. The only time DEFCON 2 was ever raised was during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) was ordered to DEFCON 2 alertness by their command headquarters on 26 October 1962, while the rest of the armed forces stayed at DEFCON 3.
United States Air Forces Central was created in 1942.
United States Joint Forces Command was created in 1999.
United States Fleet Forces Command was created in 2006.
United States Army Air Forces was created in 1941.
United States Army Air Forces ended in 1947.
United States Joint Forces Command ended in 2011.
President of the United States
This is Implemented in The United States Constitution Article 1, Section 3.
United States Naval Forces Central Command was created in 1983.
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces was created in 1951.