When he takes office on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden will receive nuclear “football” – an oddly shaped 45-pound briefcase that is always at the president’s side to command and control the country’s huge nuclear arsenal.
A military adviser who carries the “ball” remains physically close to the president, ready to perform the well-rehearsed command and control choreography.
Smithsonian Magazine reported that it is officially called “the president’s emergency bag” and is built around a “tough aluminum frame, lined with black leather”. But, the magazine noted, unlike movies, it doesn’t have a big red button to launch a nuclear war.
However, for the first time, outgoing president Donald Trump will not hand over the black leather case to the new president. Typically, the transfer takes place at the opening ceremony at the United States Capitol.
Since Trump plans to be in Florida when Biden takes office, the transfer will take place differently. It will be the first time in the nuclear age that an incumbent president will not attend the inauguration of his successor.
A U.S. official said a military adviser will accompany Trump to Florida with one of the footballs and that Trump will retain exclusive authority to launch a nuclear attack until 11:59:59 am on Wednesday. The fact that Trump is physically out of Washington will not affect his launching authority or access to football until noon. (There are several soccer balls that allow a president to launch a military attack while traveling.)
Another military adviser with a second nuclear football will hand over authority to Biden as soon as he takes office, the official said, and Trump’s military advisor will bring the ball back to Washington.
Biden’s football will be available to him at noon on Wednesday.
Retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis, an NBC News contributor, said that at noon, football with Biden will become one that is “activated” in the sense that the US Strategic Command would go to that if something happened that meant it was necessary.
“Just before he became president, there is a football nearby [that] is activated “, said Stavridis de Biden.
The White House declined to comment, saying it was a security issue.
In a 2013 documentary on the Discovery Channel, former Vice President Dick Cheney describes the moment as it normally unfolds.
“The passage of football takes place at noon. Nobody says a word, but I knew what to look for, ”he said. “So you have the ceremony going on at the front, but … kind of behind one of the big pillars at the front, these two guys are standing there in their uniforms, and at the right time he reaches out to hand it over to the newly appointed military advisor. And he takes over from that moment. The new president is the guy who is in control of our nuclear assets. “
There have been some unusual events around football under the different presidents, said presidential historian Michael Beschloss, an NBC News contributor.
Football’s location “was an issue when JFK was murdered in Dallas,” he said. “Reagan’s nuclear code card was accidentally thrown away at the hospital after he was shot in 1981. Clinton lost his nuclear code card for a few months in 2000.”
