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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!vortex!lauren
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.UUCP>
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: "Wargames"
Message-ID: <98@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Aug-83 05:18:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.98
Posted: Thu Aug 11 05:18:26 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Aug-83 17:45:57 EDT
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 35

Gee, it's pretty lucky that I even saw the "Wargames Flame Flame"
message, since I've only been getting this newsgroup for a couple
of days!  I thought I had successfully restricted my comments
on this issue to the SF-L digest over on ARPA, but...

My comments on "Wargames" were, of course, only addressing the issues
of the U.S. control systems and the "misrepresentation" carried forth
by the film.  It is certainly true that there have been false alerts
in our actual systems (and presumably in Soviet systems as well).
However, in actuality, none of the alerts got past preliminary stages,
because the human element is very firmly entrenched in the system.
I would rather have a few "controlled" false alerts than have a
real attack be too easily dismissed as a false one.

Outside of the intelligence community, a lot less is known about the
Soviet missile control system framework.  However, there are a couple
of factors to keep in mind.  First of all, I do *not* believe that
the Soviets are suicidal!  As such, I believe that the human element
will remain firmly entrenched in their defense systems, just as it
has in all other elements of their economy and military.  This leads
to the second point, namely that this "lauch on warning" crap is
simply that.  Both sides throw such "threats" at each other when it
seems useful to do so, but neither side wants to blot themselves out
of existence.  Such threats are really not to be taken as more than
the usual political diddling.  In any case, a "launch on warning"
policy does not imply full automation.  All it implies is that
when your sensors detect a real attack, you order your attack.  This
can be done manually (and almost certainly would be if such a policy
were to be implemented, since the decision as to what constitutes
a "real attack" is not one about to be delegated to the machines).

Somehow I get the feeling that this message doesn't belong in net.movies,
but the message to which I'm responding was there, so ...

--Lauren--