What do the DEFCON ratings of 1-5 mean?

A DEFCON level of 5 corresponds to ordinary peacetime, while a DEFCON level of 1 (which has never been reached) corresponds to the most dangerous situations, like thermonuclear war. Note that different branches of the military can be issued different DEFCON levels.

What does DEFCON stand for?

DEFCON, which stands for the Defense Readiness Condition, is an alert state used by the United States military. The United States joint military command and the joint chiefs of staff developed DEFCON to designate five levels of military readiness. What Are DEFCON Levels? DEFCON is a system for identifying threat levels.

What is the highest DEFCON number?

The United States' DEFCON (short for "defense readiness condition") scale is a measure of the level of alertness of the nation's defense forces. The DEFCON scale uses a minimum of 5 (for normal peacetime status) and a maximum of 1 (for situations of global severity, like nuclear war).

What is the highest DEFCON level ever reached?

The highest confirmed DEFCON ever was Level 2declared during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a pivotal moment in the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union stood closer to Armageddon than at any other moment in history. (DEFCON 2 was also declared in 1991, the opening phase of Operation Desert Storm).