{"id":19536,"date":"2019-10-17T19:03:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T19:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/17\/the-us-nuclear-forces-dr-strangelove-era-messaging-system-finally-got-rid-of-its-floppy-disks\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:17:34","slug":"the-us-nuclear-forces-dr-strangelove-era-messaging-system-finally-got-rid-of-its-floppy-disks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/10\/17\/the-us-nuclear-forces-dr-strangelove-era-messaging-system-finally-got-rid-of-its-floppy-disks\/","title":{"rendered":"The US nuclear forces\u2019 Dr. Strangelove-era messaging system finally got rid of its floppy disks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. \u2014 In 2014, \u201c60 Minutes\u201d made famous the 8-inch floppy disks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2017\/08\/17\/gao-nuclear-command-and-control-improving-but-long-term-view-needed\/\" target=\"_blank\">used by one antiquated Air Force computer system <\/a>that, in a crisis, could receive an order from the president to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2019\/09\/17\/boeing-calls-for-government-intervention-on-icbm-replacement-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\">launch nuclear missiles from silos across the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But no more. At long last, that system, the Strategic Automated Command and Control System or SACCS, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/03\/22\/fight-over-americas-nuclear-arsenal-heats-up-in-congress\/\" target=_blank>has dumped the floppy disk<\/a>, moving to a \u201chighly secure solid state digital storage solution\u201d this past June, said Lt. Col. Jason Rossi, commander of the Air Force\u2019s 595th Strategic Communications Squadron.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/c2-comms\/2018\/07\/25\/strategic-command-will-now-oversee-nuclear-communications\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ICBM.jpg_697f59.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Strategic Command will now oversee nuclear communications<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The communication system which keeps the president in touch with the nuclear triad during a crisis will now be the responsibility of the head of U.S. Strategic Command.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of SACCS as the U.S. nuclear force\u2019s version of AOL instant messenger \u2014 one of the many old, duplicative systems used by U.S. Strategic Command to send emergency action messages from nuclear command centers to forces in the field. Based in Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., the 595th is charged with upkeeping SACCS and ensuring its day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I joke with people and say it&#8217;s the Air Force&#8217;s oldest IT system. But it&#8217;s the age that provides that security,\u201d Rossi said in an October interview. &#8220;You can&#8217;t hack something that doesn&#8217;t have an IP address. It&#8217;s a very unique system \u2014 it is old and it is very good.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/680\/677454.pdf\" target=_blank>the Government Accountability Office wrote<\/a> that SACCS runs on an IBM Series\/1 computer dating from the 1970s and that the Defense Department planned \u201cto update its data storage solutions, port expansion processors, portable terminals and desktop terminals by the end of fiscal year 2017,\u201d but it\u2019s unclear whether those upgrades have occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Col. Hayley James, deputy group commander for the 595th Command and Control Group, acknowledged that the Air Force is seeking a replacement for SACCS, but both she and Rossi declined to comment on that effort. Asked about ongoing modernization of the current SACCS system, Rossi would only acknowledge that the Air Force has made recent enhancements to enable speed or connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Software and Soldering Irons<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not easy maintaining an IT system that dates from the same era as disco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both active-duty and civilian personnel are needed to keep SACCS operational, but most of the active-duty maintainers working on the system are young and less-experienced. Many come from the \u201ccyber transport\u201d career field, meaning that they are trained to manage modern IT infrastructure, not antiquated systems like SACCS that require maintainers to learn skills like how to solder metal, Rossi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have guys in here who have circuits, diodes, and resisters memorized,\u201d he said. \u201cThey use a TO [technical order] to make sure they\u2019re right, but these guys have been doing it for so long, when the parts come in, they can tell you what\u2019s wrong just based on a fault code or something. That level of expertise is very hard to replace. It\u2019s not sexy work. It\u2019s soldering irons and micro-miniature microscopes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4032\" height=\"3024\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-59796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg 4032w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0104.JPG.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elements of the Strategic Automated Command and Control System, seen here, go through diagnostic testing by the 595th Strategic Communications Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. (Valerie Insinna\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the guys doing that work is Robert Norman, a civilian Air Force employee with more than four years of experience fixing the electronics on SACCS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAny electronic repair is going to take a lot of work. I shouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s difficult, [but] unfortunately a lot of the newer electronics are plug and play,\u201d he said, explaining that when electronic components like motherboards or microchips break on newer systems, the common practice is to throw out them out and replace them. On SACCS, all of those pieces are repaired \u2014 which for maintainers could mean spending hours spent under a microscope, slowly but deliberately replacing a copper wire laced throughout a circuit board, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe challenges get a little larger when we\u2019re actually repairing them down to component level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s work so specialized that the Air Force hired civilians to fix SACCS components rather than teaching the trade to airmen, who would need years of training to achieve the competency of the employees currently working in the repair shop, some of whom have more than a decade of experience on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, airmen are responsible for diagnosing problems with the system, testing components and then handing off faulty ones to civilian maintainers for repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe biggest challenge is training. A lot of young folks aren\u2019t exposed to this kind of system and it usually takes quite some time for everyone to get trained up and to be able to work with an older system like this,\u201d said Senior Airman Aaron Mentch, a network technician who has worked on SACCS for about a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/c2-comms-battlefield-tech\/2019\/07\/12\/can-commercial-satellites-revolutionize-nuclear-command-and-control\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/b2.jpg_1e01fb.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Can commercial satellites revolutionize nuclear command and control?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">According to one Air Force official, commercial satellite capabilities could increase the survivability of nuclear command and controls, while also providing a cheaper alternative to military-owned satellites.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While SACC\u2019s hardware is decades old, its software is constantly refreshed by young Air Force programmers who learn software development skills at Offutt\u2019s Rapid Agile Development Lab. Most work on the software and interfaces seen by end-users like intercontinental ballistic missile launch crews, rewriting legacy code to make it more modern and sustainable, said Master Sgt. Travis Menard, 595th SCS\u2019s programming section chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SACCS programmers sometimes get the opportunity to play around with different coding techniques by creating apps for Global Strike Command, but the daily job of updating SACCS\u2019s code isn\u2019t the most glamorous job for an Air Force programmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help keep airmen engaged, the 595th\u2019s most promising programmers are regularly sent on short-term assignments to Air Force software development hubs like Boston-based Kessel Run or Los Angeles-based Kobayashi Maru, or to the Shadow Operations Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6776\" height=\"3539\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-59799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg 6776w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg?resize=768,401 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,535 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,802 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/180531-F-LW859-864.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1070 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6776px) 100vw, 6776px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A software development team meets about a project in the office of Kessel Run, a program within the Defense Innovation Unit, in Boston May. 30, 2018. Air Force software coders have been learning private sector techniques. (U.S. Air Force\/J.M. Eddins Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen they do understand the impact that they have on the mission, they\u2019re much more excited to come in and be working on it, but at the same time we want to create those environments to work on modern software and give them opportunities to go and participate with other organizations that are doing other flavors of development,\u201d Menard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are sending our best and brightest out to those other programming entities,\u201d Rossi added. \u201cWe have an airman that is heading out this month to Kessel Run \u2014 trained here, went and did a [temporary duty assignment] to Kessel Run and was by name requested for Kessel Run. We\u2019re more of a training ground.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 1970s era Strategic Automated Command and Control System is slowly becoming more modern, and a replacement could be on the 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The US nuclear forces\u2019 Dr. Strangelove-era messaging system finally got rid of its floppy disks - C4ISRNet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 1970s era Strategic Automated Command and Control System is slowly becoming more modern, and a replacement could be on the way.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The US nuclear forces\u2019 Dr. Strangelove-era messaging system finally got rid of its floppy disks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 1970s era Strategic Automated Command and Control System is slowly becoming more modern, and a replacement could be on the way.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/10\/17\/the-us-nuclear-forces-dr-strangelove-era-messaging-system-finally-got-rid-of-its-floppy-disks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"C4ISRNet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-17T19:03:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:17:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            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