What's The Point Of Nuclear Weapons On Instant Alert?

Nuclear missiles "on alert" could too easily be launched by mistake

From New Scientist:

IN THE next few weeks, President Barack Obama will publish his delayed Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), setting out the role nuclear weapons play in US defence. This is Obama's opportunity to end one of the most dangerous legacies of the cold war: the nuclear missiles the US and Russia keep ready to fly in minutes. The signs are that he is unlikely to take it.

This leaves the questions why does the US keep its nuclear weapons "on alert", and are they really needed?

Read more ....

My Comment: I will be shocked if President Obama takes this nuclear option off the table. I am sure that he must have been briefed on a number of scenarios in which having his nuclear forces on the ready is preferable than not .... and if he had to choose the lesser of the two evils, he will choose having US nuclear missiles to be at the ready rather than not having them prepped.

Besides .... the whole point of having the Defcom structure is to determine what level of preparedness should US nuclear and military forces be placed at. Why change something that has kept the peace for over 60 years?