This article is about authentication codes used to command a launch of nuclear weapons. For the binary codes used in telecommunications and GPS, see Gold code.
"The Biscuit" redirects here. For other topics, see biscuit (disambiguation).
The Gold Code is the launch code for nuclear weapons provided to the President of the United States in their role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.[1] In conjunction with the nuclear football, the Gold Codes allow the president to authorize a nuclear attack.[2] Gold Codes, as well as a separate nuclear football, are also assigned to the vice president in case the president is incapacitated or otherwise unable to discharge the duties of office pursuant to the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[3][4] Gold Codes are arranged in a column and printed on a plastic card nicknamed "the biscuit".[5]
The card's size is similar to that of a credit card, and the president is supposed to carry it on their person. Before it can be read, an opaque plastic covering must be snapped in two and removed.[6]
Gold Codes are generated daily and provided by the National Security Agency (NSA) to the White House, The Pentagon, United States Strategic Command and TACAMO. For an extra level of security, the list of codes on the card includes codes that have no meaning, and therefore the president must memorize where on the list the correct code is located. The concept behind the codes is that they permit the president to present positive identification of being the commander-in-chief and thereby authenticate a launch order to the National Military Command Center (NMCC).[7][8]
^"The Nuclear Football". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^"Transcript: Vice President Cheney on 'FOX News Sunday'". FoxNews.com. Fox News Network, LLC. December 22, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^"Military aides still carry the president's nuclear 'football'". USA Today. Associated Press. May 5, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^The Football. Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Brookings Institution
^Donvan, John (October 20, 2010). "President Bill Clinton Lost Nuclear Codes While in Office, New Book Claims". ABC News. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^Ambinder, Marc (July 10, 2013). "2 White House movie tropes that don't make sense". The Week. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^"US nuclear codes: key terms explained". The Daily Telegraph. October 21, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^Ambinder, Marc (October 22, 2010). "Why Clinton's Losing the Nuclear Biscuit Was Really, Really Bad". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
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