> the “Launch Codes” you’re so fond of was “00000000”
Yes, I heard about it. I'’m not "“fond"” of them, I just said you need the codes to use the nukes.
> security failures in institutions
\+5, insightful, but not surprising.
> your claims about how the military works internally, and how the Pentagon interfaces with the POTUS
I didn'’t intend to claim anything about any of these things. If the US military does not need an authorization from POTUS, then I apologize for getting that wrong. What I was trying to say with my post is that Germany cannot launch American nukes and Belarus cannot launch Russian nukes whenever they feel like it. ~~Merkel~~ Scholz cannot just tell the Luftwaffe to nuke someone and expect it to happen.
You are right that there is a chance of a "“special nuke-and-code-stealing operation"” succeeding. But there is a difference between fully controlling nukes and maybe being able to pull off a heist, then somehow getting the codes (easier if the code is 1234), and then hoping nobody will do anything about it.
I just realized that SleepySteve misunderstood my post and then I misunderstood [their post](/forums/generals/topics/tartarus?post_id=5464142#post_5464142). They thought I was talking that Russian troops might oppose the launch order. I thought they were arguing that Belarus will own the nukes, codes and everything and could arm them without ever asking Putin (or pulling shady moves).
I also understood [TSP'’s post](/forums/generals/topics/tartarus?post_id=5464117#post_5464117) as saying that a Belarussian general wisll be guarding the nukes. Now I'’m not sure if that'’s what they meant. But this is why I explained that Belarussians will not control the warheads.