Trump’s threats to ‘kill a civilisation’ were unhinged. That’s exactly how a nuclear option works

April 9, 2026 — 11:00am

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If US President Donald Trump decided to launch a nuclear strike, he could do so at any time. He would summon a military aide who carries a leather-bound aluminium briefcase and is always near him, even when he travels. Inside the briefcase, which weighs about 20 kilograms, is a secure satellite phone and laminated sheets with dozens of nuclear war plans, targeting options and nuclear strike packages.

Everything about the briefcase is deliberately low-tech, to minimise technical difficulties. Trump would take out a sealed plastic card about the size of a thickened credit card, known as the “biscuit”. This is an authenticator, which he carries on his person. It contains alphanumeric authentication codes that will verify his identity.

The aide opens the briefcase, also called the “nuclear football”, and connects the president directly to the duty officer at the National Military Command Centre, a hardened bunker located underneath the Pentagon. The president authenticates himself to the duty officer using an alphanumeric code on the “biscuit”. He would then order one or more of the many nuclear strike........

© The Age