Even more vulnerable is our highly visible commander in chief, who is responsible for sending the launch codes to our submarines. A lawful successor to the president would gain such authority only after assuming the presidency according to established procedures. If President Clinton and all presidential successors were killed in a first strike, our ballistic missile submarines would be unable to attack their targets in Russia. Combine this with a strike against the communications infrastructure itself, and America's invulnerable submarines are no more immune from preemptive neutralization than our bombers and land-based missiles. America's vulnerability should not come as a surprise.
History teaches that defense is more difficult than attack.
The defender sits and waits, unable to imagine how an attack might begin. But the attacker, on his side, chooses the time and place of attack. He strikes when everything is ready, when he has perfected the means to break through the defense. As Genghis Khan passed through the Great Wall, and as Hitler's tanks went around the Maginot Line, America's enemies might be able to circumvent our network of satellites, computers and radars. Because of this possibility, America needs to commit itself to modernizing and strengthening its nuclear defenses.