Jump to content

1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Infrogmation (talk | contribs) at 16:09, 5 October 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Stanislav Petrov (born c. 1939) is a retired Russian Army colonel who, on September 26, 1983, averted a potential nuclear war by refusing to accept that missiles had been launched against the USSR by the United States, despite the indication given by his computerised early warning systems. The Soviet computer reports were later shown to have been in error, and Petrov is credited with preventing World War III and the devastation of much of the Earth by nuclear weapons.

Because of military secrecy and political and international differences, Petrov's actions were kept secret until 1998, and most of the world has not heard of this man who saved the lives of millions.

Background

For most of the latter half of the 20th century, the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in an ongoing Cold War.

These two superpowers shared a mutual distrust which had escalated into a full-scale arms race, each country trying to ensure that they could equal or better whatever firepower the other had. By the 1980s both powers commanded a sufficiently large arsenal of nuclear weaponry to ensure the other's annihilation, with both sides relying on the fact that the other would not be foolish enough to launch a pre-emptive strike. To ensure that this could not happen, both sides had put in place a system whereby any indication of a nuclear attack would guarantee the launch of their own weaponry, thus assuring that their attacker would also be destroyed. This way of thinking was called Mutual Assured Destruction, and was considered a suitable deterrent against nuclear missiles ever being used.

The 1983 incident

Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was the officer on duty at the Serpukhov-15 bunker near Moscow. It was his responsibility to use computers and satellites to warn his superiors if there were ever a nuclear missile attack against the USSR. In the event of such an attack, the Soviet Union's strategy was to launch an immediate all-out nuclear counter-attack against the United States.

Just past midnight, on September 26, 1983, the computers indicated that an American missile was heading toward the Soviet Union. Lt. Col. Petrov reasoned that a computer error had occurred, since the United States was not likely to launch just one missile if it were attacking the Soviet Union - it would launch many simultaneously. Also, the satellite system's reliability had in the past been questioned, so he dismissed the warning as a false alarm, concluding that no missile had actually been launched by the United States.

A short time later the computers indicated that a second missile had been launched, followed by a third, a fourth and a fifth. Petrov still felt that the computer system was wrong, but there was no other source of information with which to confirm his suspicions. The Soviet Union's land radar was not capable of detecting any missiles beyond the horizon, so by the time they could make a positive identification it would be too late.

Understanding that if he were wrong, nuclear missiles would soon be raining down on the Soviet Union, Petrov decided to trust his intuition and declare the system's indications a false alarm. After a short while it was apparent that his instincts were right. The crisis put him under immense nervous pressure, yet Petrov's judgement had been sound. A full-scale nuclear war had been averted.

Stanislav Petrov was not originally scheduled to be on duty that night. Had he not been there, it is possible a different commanding officer would have made the opposite decision.

Aftermath

Despite having prevented potential nuclear disaster, by refusing to acknowledge the computer system's warnings Lt. Col. Petrov had disobeyed his orders and defied military protocol. He later underwent intense questioning by his superiors about his actions during the nerve-wracking ordeal, the result of which was that they no longer considered him a reliable military officer.

The Soviet military did not punish Petrov for his actions, but did not reward or honor him either. His actions had revealed imperfections in the Soviet military system which showed his superiors in a bad light. He was given a reprimand, officially for the improper filing of paperwork, and his once-promising military career came to an end. He was reassigned to a less sensitive post and ultimately retired from the military.

Petrov went on to live his life in Russia as a pensioner, spending his retirement in poverty in the town of Fryazino. He has said he does not regard himself as a hero for what he did that day, but nevertheless, on May 21, 2004, the San Francisco-based Association of World Citizens gave Colonel Petrov its World Citizen Award along with a trophy and $1,000 in recognition of the part he played in averting a catastrophe.

  • Burrelle's Information Services (Dateline NBC, Nov. 12, 2000)
  • Washington Post (Feb. 10, 1999)
  • BBC News (Oct. 21, 1998)
  • Daily Mail (Oct. 7, 1998)

This article is based in part upon content originally by Bright Star Sound with permission and licensed under the GFDL.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident&oldid=7233282"