Thinking of the nuclear weapons in America, one would imagine ultra-modern, super-sophisticated computer and information technology systems at work in the world’s most powerful nation’s nuclear arsenal.
But here’s a surprise for you. A report has revealed that some government systems in the US are reliant on computer systems that are more than 50 years old, and that includes the department of defence that uses 8-inch floppy disks to coordinate the nuclear forces.
The US government is spending a huge part of its technology budget on maintaining these aging computer systems that are pivotal to several areas of the government.
The report by a government watchdog has found that many agencies have been using “outdated software languages and hardware parts that are unsupported”.
In some cases, the vendors no longer provide support for hardware or software, creating security vulnerabilities and additional costs
“In some cases, the vendors no longer provide support for hardware or software, creating security vulnerabilities and additional costs,” said the report.
“The system coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker support aircrafts, among others,” the report states.
“For those in the nuclear command area, the system’s primary function is to send and receive emergency action messages to nuclear forces.”
The system coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker support aircrafts, among others
While for many of us, floppy disks haven’t just faded into oblivion, they may rather be extinct, but the American government would need 3 million floppy disks in order to store the same amount of data that a $10 USB drive can store.
