Object

Minuteman Three Silos

Hardened underground silos that house Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. Two launch officers inside followed procedures to fire the ICBMs after radar signals suggested incoming warheads, but stopped short when they realized the signals tracked a meteor. Will recounts the near-miss to Toby, C.J., Ed, Larry during poker in Leo's office, shifting the mood from optimism to doubt about human reliability under pressure.

1 appearances

Purpose

Contain and enable launch of nuclear-armed Minuteman III ICBMs in response to detected threats.

Significance

Exposes vulnerability in nuclear command chain to misinterpretation of data, fueling Toby's argument against blind faith in institutional safeguards amid personal and national tensions.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments

S4E20 · Evidence of Things Not Seen

Poker Night: Faith Tested

The Minuteman III silos function as the theater of the near-miss; they are the physical locus where human and mechanical failure nearly intersected with catastrophe, and their invocation materializes abstract risk.

Before: Operational and alert; housing Minuteman ICBMs awaiting orders.

After: Subject to investigation; personnel being defended or investigated following the near-launch incident.

View full event