Today they have something like 7 minutes to decide whether to launch a retaliatory strike if missiles are en route if recall correctly, 12 hours seems like a luxury.
I think the 12 hours are in reference to a conventional invasion. In case of a nuclear attack the decision might not even be made by someone high-up on account of them being encased in glass but by the crew of the nuclear subs, based on a letter the higher-ups left for that circumstance.
Today they have something like 7 minutes to decide whether to launch a retaliatory strike if missiles are en route if recall correctly, 12 hours seems like a luxury.
I think the 12 hours are in reference to a conventional invasion. In case of a nuclear attack the decision might not even be made by someone high-up on account of them being encased in glass but by the crew of the nuclear subs, based on a letter the higher-ups left for that circumstance.