The screen that set off the ballistic missile alert on Saturday

Re:The screen that set off the ballistic missile alert on Sa... by rmc on Tuesday January 16, 2018 @10:48AM (#16158995)

I really hope the people who are looking for intercontinental missles have some training.

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Re:The screen that set off the ballistic missile alert on Sa... by naravara on Tuesday January 16, 2018 @10:56AM (#16159063)

This isn't the guy looking for it, this is the guy running the emergency alert system. It's likely to be a contractor who gets meagre pay, limited benefits, and no job security as the contract probably turns over to a new vendor every 2 or 3 years.

The "training" they have is, if anything, an MS word document with a bunch of screenshots or a flash animation showing each of the functions that the contract required the developer to build in.

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Re:The screen that set off the ballistic missile alert on Sa... by astura on Tuesday January 16, 2018 @11:36AM (#16159427)

The military monitors for intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

If they detect one then they assess it. If after assessment they determine there is a threat to anyone they notify the appropriate agencies.

A civilian in a totally different government agency is the one who pushes the notification button.

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Re:The screen that set off the ballistic missile alert on Sa... by mulmen on Tuesday January 16, 2018 @04:47PM (#16163009)

How is the notification sent from the military to the civilian agency? Does the civilian agency validate the notification? Why is it necessary or preferable for a human to do this instead of a computer?

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