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Training Simulation Error
On this day, an alarm was triggered that stated 2,200 Soviet missiles had been launched to various targets across the United States. This later turned out to be a false alarm caused by training simulations "inexplicably transferred into regular warning display" (Burr). -
Letter to Washington
Leonid Brezhnev wrote a letter to President Carter on his concern of the extreme danger that false alarms create. He also emphasized his concern that no other top US leaders were notified at the time of the potential threat. -
Integrated Circuit Error
On June 3, a chip failed in the NORAD regular warning system, causing random 2's to be displayed. This appeared as if the Soviet Union launched 2, then 200 missiles. NORAD was able to reproduce this error on the 6th, when they found the $0.46 chip that had failed. -
Re-Evaluation & Testing of Systems
In June of 1980, after the recent chip malfunctions, more tests had been run against multiple early-warning systems to ensure minimal false alarms. -
NORAD Warning System Upgrade
NORAD's system upgrade plan went into effect in 1981. Aging computers were replaced to avoid worn out components that could cause potential problems.
