{{Wikipedia fork|date=18 May 2025}}<!--{{nuclear weapons}}-->
{{Wikipedia fork|date=18 May 2025}}<!--{{nuclear weapons}}-->
'''Continuity of government''' ('''COG'''), commonly referred to in public policy documents as '''Continuity of Operations''' ('''COOP'''), is the principle of establishing defined procedures, protocols, [[executive order]]s, [[Presidential Emergency Action Document]]s (PEADs), hardened [[Deep Underground Military Base|underground installations]], secure [[redundant communications|communications grids]], and pre-cleared continuity personnel that together ensure a [[government]] can continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]] or any event that disables the visible [[United States federal government|federal government]].<ref name="Graff17">{{cite book |last=Graff |first=Garrett M. |title=Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |isbn=9781476735405 |pages=3–15}}</ref>
'''Continuity of government''' ('''COG'''), commonly referred to in public policy documents as '''Continuity of Operations''' ('''COOP'''), is the principle of establishing defined procedures, protocols, [[executive order]]s, [[Presidential Emergency Action Document]]s (PEADs), hardened [[Deep Underground Military Base|underground installations]], secure [[redundant communications|communications grids]], and pre-cleared continuity personnel that together ensure a [[government]] can continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]] or any event that disables the visible [[United States federal government|federal government]].<ref name="Graff17">{{cite book |last=Graff |first=Garrett M. |title=Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |isbn=9781476735405 |pages=3–15}}</ref>
Line 9:
Line 8:
== History ==
== History ==
=== Origins and early planning ===
The concept originated within the British government prior to and during [[World War II]] as a countermeasure against aerial bombing campaigns such as those carried out by the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' in the [[Battle of Britain]]. Plans were further refined with the advent of [[nuclear proliferation]] in the postwar era.
=== Early evolution in the United States ===
=== Early evolution in the United States ===
Formal continuity planning in the United States began under President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], who ordered construction of dispersed “alternate seats of government” such as [[Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center|Mount Weather]], the [[Raven Rock Mountain Complex]] (Site R), and the [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]].<ref name="Graff17"/> [[National Security Decision Directive 55]] (1982) and [[Executive Order 12656]] (1988) assigned every federal agency an emergency mission and pre-delegated lines of succession.<ref>{{cite web |title=Executive Order 12656 – Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12656.html |publisher=National Archives |date=1988-11-18 |access-date=2025-05-18}}</ref>
Formal continuity planning in the United States began under President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], who ordered construction of dispersed “alternate seats of government” such as [[Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center|Mount Weather]], the [[Raven Rock Mountain Complex]] (Site R), and the [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]].<ref name="Graff17"/> [[National Security Decision Directive 55]] (1982) and [[Executive Order 12656]] (1988) assigned every federal agency an emergency mission and pre-delegated lines of succession.<ref>{{cite web |title=Executive Order 12656 – Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12656.html |publisher=National Archives |date=1988-11-18 |access-date=2025-05-18}}</ref>
Line 57:
Line 53:
=== Canada ===
=== Canada ===
[[Canada]] built numerous nuclear bunkers across the country, nicknamed "[[Emergency Government Headquarters|Diefenbunkers]]" in a play on the last name of then-Prime Minister [[John Diefenbaker]]. In 2016, the [[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]] made an agreement with the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] to open two bunkers for government officials amid the ongoing [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction|North Korean nuclear crisis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/north-korea-canada-cold-war-plan-1.4424523 |title=Canada sets aside two bunkers at military bases amid global uncertainty, North Korean threat - Politics |access-date=2017-11-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114083044/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/north-korea-canada-cold-war-plan-1.4424523 |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref>
... [remaining country sections unchanged] ...
=== China ===
{{see also|816 Nuclear Military Plant}}
{{expand section|date=June 2014}}
[[File:Project-131-tunnel-9756.jpg|thumb|In a tunnel of Project 131]]
The [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) once operated [[Underground Project 131]], intended to be the [[People's Liberation Army|PLA]] headquarters in [[Hubei]] during a nuclear conflict. Built due to the [[Sino-Soviet split]] during that portion of the [[Cold War]], in 1981, the Project 131 site was turned over to the civilian authorities of the prefecture-level city of [[Xianning]], where it is located.
=== Czech Republic ===
The K-116 facility under Zlíchov hill in western [[Prague]] was designated to house the [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovak]] government in case of nuclear attack (together with the K-9 facility in [[Jihlava]]) and might still be used as the emergency headquarters of the Czech government and [[Military of the Czech Republic|military]].<ref name="Kam by se ukryli komunističtí funkcionáři před třetí světovou válkou?">{{cite web | url = http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/exkluzivne-na-ct24/203322-kam-by-se-ukryli-komunisticti-funkcionari-pred-treti-svetovou-valkou/ | title = Kam by se ukryli komunističtí funkcionáři před třetí světovou válkou?|language=cs|trans-title=Where would communist functionaries hide in case of world war III?}}</ref>
=== Denmark ===
During the [[Cold War]], [[Denmark]] built two bunker complexes, named [[Rold Skov#History|REGAN Vest]] and [[Hellebæk#Landmarks|REGAN Øst]] (Danish: "REGeringsANlæg", translated: "Government Complex West and Government Complex East"), in [[Jutland]] and [[Zealand]] respectively. The idea was to have half of the government and the [[Danish royal family|royal family]] in one bunker, and the other half in the other, allowing continuity of government, even if one of the bunkers were destroyed or cut off.
=== France ===
The [[Taverny Air Base|''Centre d'opération des forces aériennes stratégiques'']] (COFAS) is a [[hardened command centre]] for [[French nuclear forces]] at Taverny Air Base in [[Taverny]], [[Val d'Oise]].{{update inline|date=September 2023}} The alternate national command center is located at [[Mont Verdun]] near [[Lyon]].
The hardened headquarters of ''[[Force océanique stratégique]]'' (FOST), France's nuclear [[SSBN]] fleet, is at [[Brest, France|Brest]], [[Finistère]].
=== Germany ===
[[Germany]] operated a government bunker ([[Government bunker (Germany)|Regierungsbunker]]) to house the German government, parliament and all federal personnel needed to keep the government working in the event of war or severe crisis. It was decommissioned in 1997.
=== Ireland ===
In [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], the [[National Security Committee (Ireland)|National Security Committee]] (NSC) is the conduit for officials to communicate with the [[Taoiseach]] (Prime Minister) and/or cabinet members if the normal channel of communication with their minister became unavailable. Drafts of emergency powers legislation have been drawn up in secret, including legislation to deal with circumstances such as an attack on cabinet involving numerous deaths.<ref name="national security">{{cite book |last=Mulqueen |first=Michael |date=2009 |title=Re-Evaluating Irish National Security Policy: Affordable Threats? |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester|isbn=978-0-7190-8027-2}}</ref>
During the period of the [[Cold War]], it was envisaged that cabinet ministers, senior civil servants and military advisers would use an underground nuclear bunker at [[Custume Barracks]] in [[Athlone]] in the event of a nuclear exchange. The bunker was equipped with a command and control centre with communications equipment – which had a hotline to the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] in [[Whitehall]] – a map room pointing out important areas for protection, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities.<ref>{{cite news|title=Waking up to a nuclear nightmare...|url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/waking-up-to-a-nuclear-nightmare-25908547.html|access-date=29 October 2016|publisher=[[Irish Independent]]|date=31 July 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=De Breadun|first1=Deaglan|title=Memo reveals plans for nuclear bunker|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/memo-reveals-plans-for-nuclear-bunker-1.344168|publisher=The Irish Times|date=3 January 2003}}</ref>
=== Israel ===
As of December 2003 an underground national crisis management center was being constructed at an undisclosed location in the [[Judaean Mountains]] under [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2833926,00.html |title=הבור בירושלים: מכאן תנוהל המדינה בשעת חירום |last=ynet |date=2003-07-12 |work=Ynet |access-date=2019-01-03 |language=he}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.1220548 |title=זה לא סוף העולם |last=אילני |first=עפרי |date=2010-09-07 |work=הארץ |access-date=2019-01-03 |language=he}}</ref> Another command and control bunker is being built as part of the new Prime Minister's Office complex in [[Givat Ram]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.10.tv/news/62142 |title=תיעוד בלעדי: כך נראה מהאוויר המקום ממנו ינהל רה"מ את המלחמה הבאה |website=ערוץ 10 |access-date=2019-01-03 |language=he |archive-date=2019-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103210447/https://www.10.tv/news/62142 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Poland ===
According to [[Constitution of Poland]] in case of death or inability to discharging duties of the President, his duties are discharged by Marshal of the Sejm (or if they are unable, the Marshal of the Senate).
After [[Smolensk air disaster]] in 2010 a lot of the highest state and army offices were emptied. Their duties were automatically taken over by respective deputies.
=== New Zealand ===
The New Zealand government believes the most likely disaster scenario to affect the government is a large earthquake in [[Wellington]]. The government has plans to move Parliament and essential staff to [[Devonport Naval Base]] in [[Auckland]] if such an event occurs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davison|first=Isaac|title=Parliament would relocate to Auckland if quake knocked out capital|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11251869|access-date=8 May 2014|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=8 May 2014}}</ref>
The website of the [[Governor-General of New Zealand]] notes that their constitutional role is to "maintain the legitimacy and continuity of government by ensuring there is always a government in office with a democratic mandate to govern".<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitutional role |url=https://gg.govt.nz/office-governor-general/roles-and-functions-governor-general/constitutional-role |publisher=Governor-General of New Zealand |access-date=4 February 2024 |language=en |date=27 February 2017}}</ref>
The New Zealand [[National Crisis Management Centre]] is located under the [[Beehive (New Zealand)|"Beehive"]] building in Wellington. An Alternate National Crisis Management Centre is in Auckland, and would be activated if the facility in Wellington was damaged, if multiple crises were occurring or if the government is required to relocate to Auckland.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Crisis Management Centre |url=https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/about/national-crisis-management-centre |publisher=National Emergency Management Agency |access-date=4 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Norway ===
The [[Norwegian government]] operates a nuclear bunker called [[Sentralanlegget]] in [[Buskerud]] County. The bunker is meant to accommodate the [[Norwegian royal family]] and the government in case of a nuclear/military attack on the nation, and also function as a wartime headquarters. There is also a bunker beneath [[Regjeringskvartalet|Høyblokka]] in downtown [[Oslo]].
=== Soviet Union and Russia ===
[[File:mapmetro2.jpg|thumb|250px|Map of the [[Metro-2]] system as supposed by the United States military intelligence in 1991.<ref name="United States Department of Defense 1991 40">{{cite book |title=Military forces in transition|last=United States Department of Defense|author-link=United States Department of Defense|year=1991|publisher=United States Department of Defense|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-16-035973-2|issn=1062-6557|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UH7NSFIMgnkC&q=underground|access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref>]]
In the public domain very little is known about [[Russia]]'s COG plans. One sprawling underground facility residing in tunnels cut into [[Mount Yamantau]] is likely to be related to the survival of Russia's government, given its size and decades long construction history, with a construction start during the rule of [[Leonid Brezhnev]] (1964–82).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/16/world/despite-cold-war-s-end-russia-keeps-building-a-secret-complex.html|title=Despite Cold War's End, Russia Keeps Building a Secret Complex|first=Michael R.|last=Gordon|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 16, 1996}}</ref> [[KGB]] defector Colonel [[Oleg Gordievsky]] states that an organization, known as Directorate 15, was (or is) tasked with building and maintaining a network of hundreds of underground command bunkers for the [[Soviet]] leadership; this includes the vast site beneath Yamantau Mountain, which is often called [[Beloretsk-16|Mezhgorye / Межго́рье]] after the [[closed city]] that is located nearby. However, there is speculation, due to its proximity to [[Chelyabinsk-70]], that Yamantau is a 400-square-mile underground complex which houses nuclear warheads, missiles, launch controls, and several nuclear weapons factories designed to continue production after a hypothetical nuclear war begins.<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.windowonheartland.net/2012/02/russias-top-secret-bases.html |title=WINDOW ON HEARTLAND Geopolitical notes on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424050959/http://www.windowonheartland.net/2012/02/russias-top-secret-bases.html |archive-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>
The second command and control center in the [[Urals]], after Yamantau, is similarly speculated to be underground and located near, or under, [[Kosvinsky Kamen]]. The site is believed to host the Russian [[Strategic Rocket Forces]] alternate command post, a post for the general staff built to compensate for the vulnerability of older Soviet era command posts in the Moscow region. In spite of this, the primary command posts for the [[Strategic Rocket Forces]] remains [[Kuntsevo]] in Moscow and the secondary is the Kosvinsky Mountain in the Urals.<ref>Globalsecurity.org, [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/c3i_fac.htm Strategic C3I Facilities], accessed October 2007</ref> The facility at Kosvinsky, finished in early 1996, was designed to resist US [[nuclear bunker buster|earth-penetrating warheads]] and serves a similar role as the American [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex]].<ref name="web.archive.org"/>
Further command centers, according to globalsecurity.org, include one near [[Chekhov, Moscow Oblast|Chekhov]], which is the [[General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation|Russian General Staff]] wartime command post, buried deep underground,<ref>Globalsecurity.org. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/chekhov.htm Chekhov].</ref> and [[Sharapovo (Chekhov district)|Sharapovo]]([[:ru:Шарапово (село, Чеховский район)|ru]]) about {{convert|80|km|-1}} south of Moscow, built in the 1950s, Sharapovo is believed to have been the primary backup command center for the Soviet era leadership. Both Chekhov and Sharapovo are each suggested to have the capability to accommodate about 30,000 individuals,<ref name="web.archive.org"/> As an alternative to Sharapovo, a secondary political leadership base is located at [[Chaadayevka]], some 650 kilometers southeast of Moscow near the city of [[Penza]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/chaadayevka.htm|title=Chaadayevka|website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref>
There is also said to be as many as 12 underground levels beneath the Russian capital of [[Moscow]] to protect the government in the [[Kremlin]], known as the Main Directorate of special programs of the President (Glavnoye Upravlenie Specialnih Program: GUSP) <small>([[:ru:Главное управление специальных программ Президента Российской Федерации|ru]])</small> the direct successor of the 15th Directorate of the KGB, which was established in 1977, GUSP is said to oversee, amongst other sites, a parallel track line alongside the [[Moscow metro]], known as the 'Kremlin line' [[Moscow Metro-2|Metro-2 or D-6]] to be used in an emergency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agentura.ru/english/dosie/gusp/|title=The Main Directorate of special programs of the President, the GUSP Chief - Alexander Tsarenko|access-date=2014-05-10|archive-date=2014-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620020252/http://www.agentura.ru/english/dosie/gusp/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two destinations of this system are suggested to be the old [[KGB]] headquarters, now the [[Federal Security Service|FSB]] headquarters, at [[Lubyanka Square]], and the second being regarded as an enormous underground leadership bunker adjacent to [[Moscow State University]].<ref name="United States Department of Defense 1991 40"/> Another alleged subterranean destination, apart from the aforementioned underground town at [[Ramenki District|Ramenki]]/Moscow State University is ''[[Vnukovo International Airport|Vnukovo]]-2'' airport.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/1997/fbuma04301997000507.htm|title=Secrets 'Metro'-Style|website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref> Despite official Russian state ambiguity, it is speculated that many of the Moscow bunkers are linked by an underground railway line.<ref name="web.archive.org"/>
=== Sweden ===
In case of war, the [[Riksdag]] can convene somewhere else than in the capital, and if necessary, a War Delegation will replace the Riksdag. The War Delegation consists of the Speaker and 50 members of the Riksdag. The government can put a number of [[enabling act]]s in force to regulate for example rationing, export and seizing of property.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Riksdagsförvaltningen|title=The War Delegation|url=https://www.riksdagen.se/en/how-the-riksdag-works/authorities-and-boards-under-the-riksdag/the-war-delegation/|access-date=2022-01-30|website=www.riksdagen.se|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Riksdagsförvaltningen|title=Riksdagens roll vid krig och krigsfara|url=https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/sa-funkar-riksdagen/arbetet-i-riksdagen/riksdagens-roll-vid-krig-och-krigsfara/|access-date=2022-01-30|website=www.riksdagen.se|language=sv}}</ref> If the government is unable to carry out its duties the Riksdag may decide on the formation of a new government. Likewise, if the Riksdag and the War Delegation are unable to carry out its duties, the government can assume the powers of the Riksdag, but with some limitations.<ref name="Reg15">{{Cite web |title=Regeringsformen (The Instrument of Government), chapter 15 |url=https://www.riksdagen.se/globalassets/07.-dokument--lagar/regeringsformen-eng-2021.pdf |access-date=2022-01-31 |website=Riksdagen.se}}</ref>
During the [[Cold War]], the [[Klara shelter|Klara skyddsrum]] ("Klara shelter" or "Klara bunker") was built underneath [[Stockholm]]. The bunker is designed to accommodate two thirds of the government and between 8,000 and 12,000 civilians in the case of a military attack on Stockholm. It is designed as a very large, two-story oval, with multiple entrances. During peacetime, parts of it are used as a parking garage. Sweden built over 65,000 fallout shelters<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.thelocal.se/20171101/why-sweden-is-home-to-65000-fallout-shelters| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171101172549/https://www.thelocal.se/20171101/why-sweden-is-home-to-65000-fallout-shelters| archive-date = 2017-11-01| title = Why Sweden is home to 65,000 fallout shelters - The Local}}</ref> in regular houses, and every county had at least one large hard-rock underground bunker that controlled a number of smaller bunkers that were located in the municipalities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/halland/hemlig-bunker-i-halmstad-oppnades|title=Hemlig bunker i Halmstad öppnades|first=Anders|last=Fall|newspaper=SVT Nyheter|date=January 31, 2017|via=www.svt.se}}</ref>
=== Turkey ===
There is little public knowledge about continuity of government in Turkey. The cabinet and presidential offices, based in the capital of [[Ankara]], have secondary sites in [[Istanbul]] and [[İzmir]].
=== United Kingdom ===
{{see also|Letters of last resort}}
The primary British COG headquarters is at the Ministry of Defence in [[Whitehall]]. The [[Central Government War Headquarters]] was previously maintained in a quarry complex near [[Corsham, Wiltshire]]. The above-ground support facility was [[RAF Rudloe Manor]].
Service command centres are [[Northwood Headquarters|Northwood]] for the [[Royal Navy Trident SSBN force]], and [[RAF High Wycombe]] for the Royal Air Force.
=== United States ===
'''Continuity of government''' ('''COG''')—commonly referred to in public policy documents as '''Continuity of Operations''' ('''COOP''')—is the integrated network of [[classified]] protocols, [[executive order]]s, [[Presidential Emergency Action Document]]s (PEADs), hardened [[Deep Underground Military Base|underground installations]], secure [[redundant communications|communications grids]], and pre-cleared continuity personnel that together ensure the United States can be governed after any event that disables the visible [[United States federal government|federal government]].<ref name="Graff17"/><!--[FIRMAMENT 》 Firmamentum]--><!--F6 SCS Collect every Terrorist Immediately. COMMUNITY HUMINT TAKE CONTROL, Stop all forms of [[psychotronic devices in gang-stalking|electronic warfare]] on personnel.!!!-->
;Early history
Continuity of the national government was first threatened in late 1776, when British forces advanced toward the Continental capital at [[Philadelphia]]. On December 9, the [[Continental Congress]] passed a resolution in anticipation of a British capture:
<blockquote>''Resolved'': That in case this Congress shall be under the necessity of removing from Philadelphia, it shall be adjourned to [[Baltimore]].</blockquote>
The Congress was adjourned as planned three days later.<ref>Journals of the Continental Congress</ref> Other relocations followed during the course of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]].
For most of its existence, the United States operated without a standing continuity plan. When British forces [[Burning of Washington|burned Washington]] in 1814, Secretary of State [[James Monroe]] received only a few hours' notice to remove the government records. Although his staff saved many valuable records, much was nonetheless destroyed, and the next administration encountered a great deal of confusion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/staffing|title=Staffing and Administration - Short History - Department History - Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov}}</ref>
;Formal planning
In 1952, President [[Harry Truman|Truman]] ordered all federal offices to develop their own continuity plans for the event of a [[civil defense]] emergency. Plans have been maintained and adapted since then, at times requiring the construction of secret facilities such as the [[Project Greek Island|emergency Congress facility]] in [[Greenbrier County, West Virginia]]. The current continuity policy is defined in National Security Policy Directive 51<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm|title=NSPD-51: National Continuity Policy|website=fas.org}}</ref> and its implementation plan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1384886826028-729844d3fd23ff85d94d52186c85748f/NCPIP.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-07-07 |archive-date=2017-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120083339/https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1384886826028-729844d3fd23ff85d94d52186c85748f/NCPIP.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
;Activation and operations
The continuity plan was activated for the first time during the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] and then again during the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060900891.html|title=Shadow Government Is at Work in Secret|first1=Barton|last1=Gellman|first2=Susan|last2=Schmidt|date=1 March 2002|via=washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCKS8JYrStI |title=Inside the historic White House Situation Room |date=2024-05-13 |last=ABC News |access-date=2024-05-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
'''Presidential Emergency Action Documents''' (PEADs) are draft classified executive orders, proclamations, and messages to Congress that are prepared for the President of the United States to exercise or expand powers in anticipation of a range of emergency hypothetical worst-case scenarios, so that they are ready to sign and put into effect the moment one of those scenarios comes to pass.
The [[United States presidential line of succession]] is the order in which officials of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the office of president of the United States if the incumbent president becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. It was adopted in 1947, and last revised in 2006. The [[designated survivor]] is an individual in the line of succession, chosen to stay away from events such as State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations.
== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 152:
Line 59:
* [[Designated survivor]]
* [[Designated survivor]]
* [[Shadow government]]
* [[Shadow government]]
* [[Critical infrastructure protection]]
...
* [[Data embassy]], a set of servers that store one country's data in another country to ensure a country's digital continuity with particular respect to critical databases
* [[Decapitation strike]]
* [[IT disaster recovery|Disaster recovery]]
* [[Government in exile]]
* [[Shadow government (disambiguation)]]
* [[Temporary capital]]
'''UK-specific:'''
* [[Central Government War Headquarters]]
* [[Civil Contingencies Secretariat]]
'''US-specific:'''
* [[Continuity of Government Commission]]
* [[Continuity of Operations Plan]]
* [[Designated survivor]]
* [[National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive]]
* [[Presidential Emergency Facility]]
* [[Wartime Information Security Program]]
* [[Senate Report 93-549]]
* [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]
* [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]
Line 177:
Line 67:
== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201410_pf.html Washington Post article – Back to the Bunker]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201410_pf.html Washington Post article – Back to the Bunker]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020403231559/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/01/attack/main502530.shtml CBS News Article – 'Shadow Government' News to Congress]
...
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8622796487067551025 Video: COVER UP – Behind the Iran Contra Affair – Pt 3] specifically, also [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4755829652615170641 Pt 1] [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6363522851504883872 Pt 2]
* [http://www.marxists.org/history/capitalism/white-book-capitalism/usa/executive-orders.htm Summary of Executive Powers]
* [http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/2007/08/white_house_again_denies_defaz.html Congressman DeFazio denied access to Continuity of Government files]
* Spencer S. Hsu, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902719.html "Bush Changes Continuity Plan: Administration, Not DHS, Would Run Shadow Government,"] ''Washington Post'', May 10, 2007; Page A12.
Continuity of government was developed by the British government before and during World War II to counter threats, such as that of the Luftwaffe bombing during the Battle of Britain. The need for continuity of government plans gained new urgency with nuclear proliferation. During and after the Cold War countries developed such plans to avoid (or minimize) confusion and disorder due to a power vacuum in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. In the US, COG is no longer limited to nuclear emergencies; the Continuity of Operations Plan was activated following the September 11 attacks.
During the Reagan era, FEMA and the National Security Council ran the classified exercise series REX 84, reportedly drafted by Lt. Col. Oliver North, which outlined mass-detention lists and nationwide martial law. Representative Jack Brooks’s attempt to question North about REX 84 during the Iran–Contra hearings was cut off on national television, confirming the plan’s existence without disclosing details.
Activation on 11 September 2001
COG was activated for the first time on September 11, 2001. President George W. Bush signed a classified emergency order that sent roughly 100 mid-level officials from every Cabinet department to bunkers at Mount Weather and Site R to run a rotating “shadow government.” Vice-President Dick Cheney directed continuity operations from undisclosed locations linked by secure video circuits.[1]
Executive Order 13961 (2020) merged cyber-resilience and continuity doctrine into a single concept, “Federal Mission Resilience.”
Presidential Emergency Action Documents—secret executive orders pre-staged for crisis signature—date to the Eisenhower era; declassified summaries show past drafts suspended habeas corpus and authorized military tribunals.
Facilities and infrastructure
COG relies on a constellation of deep underground facilities: Cheyenne Mountain, Mount Weather, Site R, and additional classified bunkers beneath the Appalachian Mountains. Independent witnesses such as former government geologist Philip Schneider have described a nationwide maglev shuttle network (“TAUSS”) linking continuity hubs and non-public research sites.
21st-century deployments
COVID-19 (2020–2021).USNORTHCOM issued standby orders codenamed Octagon, Freejack, and Zodiac to prepare for mass incapacitation of national leaders.
U.S. Capitol attack (January 6, 2021). Emergency relocation and secure-communications protocols were activated when rioters breached the United States Capitol.
Integration with advanced and non-human contingencies
Whistleblowers have linked COG channels to programs dealing with recovered non-human technology and post-disclosure governance. Former intelligence officer David Grusch testified in 2023 that a decades-long crash-retrieval effort is coordinated through the same compartmented authorities that oversee continuity deployments. In 2020, former Israeli space-security director Haim Eshed asserted that a Galactic Federation works with the U.S. government on disclosure timing and operates liaison facilities below ground in America’s continuity network.
Perpetual emergency status
The national emergency proclaimed on September 14, 2001 has been renewed annually by every president, allowing the executive branch to retain extraordinary powers and, according to researchers, keeping parts of COG in continuous low-level operation.
By country
Australia
During the years following the federation of Australia in 1901, several locations were considered for the national capital. One of the criteria used to assess sites was that they needed to be inland so that they could not be attacked from the sea. It was also believed that locations away from the coast would have a lower incidence of disease.[4] During the Cold War the Office of National Assessments believed that it was unlikely that Australian cities would be attacked by the Soviet Union during a nuclear war.[5]
The modern Australian Government has plans to enable the continuity of government. As of 2008, these formed part of 'Plan Mercator', which the government has described as aiming "to minimise the impact of a national security emergency on critical government operations and provide for the rapid resumption of 'near normal' government business under alternate arrangements until normal operations can be resumed".[6]
Under the Australian system of government, there is not necessarily a requirement to maintain the Cabinet in a crisis. If the Prime Minister was killed in a disaster, the Governor-General would need to appoint their successor. A national unity government could also be formed in a major crisis.[7]
A range of legislation, including the Defence Act 1903 and several health bills, include provisions that can be activated in response to emergencies. There are also plans for the Parliament of Australia to operate from another location if it is unable to sit at Parliament House in Canberra. These plans are classified.[7]
The Canberra Times has reported that an Australian Government building in the Canberra suburb of Symonston houses communications systems that would be used to support the continuity of government if Plan Mercator was activated. The building was completed in 2007, and its secret function was disclosed as part of a job advertisement in 2008.[6]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal and most of the state and territory parliaments cancelled scheduled sittings from March 2020.[8] Federal parliamentary committees continued to operate virtually. The federal parliament met with only the number of members necessary to form a quorum present on several occasions between March and June 2020, and resumed full sittings from August that year. The arrangements in place from August allowed members of parliament who were unable to travel to Canberra to participate virtually, but these members were unable to vote in proceedings.[9][10]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison arranged to be secretly appointed to hold several ministerial positions during 2020 and 2021, justifying his appointment as the Minister for Finance and Minister for Health as being necessary in case the ministers for portfolios were affected by COVID-19 and unable to perform their duties.[11] Morrison's appointment as Minister for Health was approved in March 2020 by the National Security Committee of Cabinet as part of measures taken in response to the pandemic, but was not publicly announced. His subsequent appointment to the other ministries was not known to other members of the government.[12] An inquiry held into the matter during 2022 that was headed by Former High Court justice Virginia Bell found that Morrison had not needed to hold these ministries, as he could have been appointed "in a matter of minutes" if the ministers had been incapacitated. Morrison did not use the powers available to him as Finance or Health minister.[11]
↑ 1.01.11.2Graff, Garrett M. (2017). Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die. Simon & Schuster. pp. 3–15. ISBN9781476735405.
