History Main / DefconFive

* Half-averted in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica''. When Cornholio talks into the red phone, the person in charge of the Defense Control Center becomes concerned and goes to Defcon 4 (''from'' 5). However, this incorrectly sets off the RedAlert klaxon and everyone scrambles around as if this meant war was imminent.

* Music/NoxArcana's ''Zombie Influx'' album contains the track "[[OffTheScale Defcon Six]]." I guess you could say the ''humans'' are all at piece with each other...

* Done correctly in the track [[http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/1975 Defcon Zero]] by {{Newgrounds}}' [=ParagonX9=].

* Music/NoxArcana's ''Zombie Influx'' album contains the track "[[OffTheScale Defcon Six]]."

* In the ''DoctorWho'' episode "The Poison Sky, Colonel Mace uses the correct term when he declares that NATO has gone to DEFCON 1 to meet the Sontaran threat.

* DEFCON 5: Normal peacetime activities
* DEFCON 4: Increased readiness levels, mainly more intelligence and surveillance
* DEFCON 3: Military begins deployment.......this is the first truly "shit is about to get real" phase of the levels
* DEFCON 2: War is to be considered imminent, make all preparations
* DEFCON 1: War is to be expected at any moment, weapons loaded with anticipation of orders to shoot.

* Santa's Workshop gets it right in ''Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'', of all places. The code for catastrophe is "Elf-Con 1"

This is incorrect, and this trope is about the misuse of these terms. Defcon 5 (codename "FADE OUT"[[note]]These codenames are used during exercises to avoid confusion with the real deal[[/note]]) is the ''lowest'' state of alert, aka completely tranquil peace time. Defcon 1 (codename "[[DramaticGunCock COCKED PISTOL]]") is the highest, referring to a confirmed state of war. The use of nuclear weapons is authorized here, but they will still require unlock codes from high authority. The highest state reached for the Strategic Air Command in US history was Defcon 2 (codename "FAST PACE", during the Cuban Missile Crisis), but the Gulf War led to forces in the Middle East reaching Defcon 1, for obvious reasons -- like being at war. The Yom Kippur War of 1973 saw a brief period at Defcon 3 (codename "ROUND HOUSE", with some forces in the Middle East being at 2), as did 9/11. Currently the Defcon level is at 5.

* One issue of ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' has Iron Man announcing a situation is at Defcon ''1000'', due to the sudden appearance of Thanos.

* Averted in ''Film/ThirteenDays'', where a general specifically mentions that the US is not at war until DEFCON 1.

* A recent article about a tilting bridge in the US, describe the bridge as the DEFCON 5 of Bridges. No danger then.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-delaware-freeway-closure-20140604-story.html

* Used correctly in the last episode of ''[[Franchise/SentouYouseiYukikaze Yukikaze.]]''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPVDp0QvGlo The FAF fleet goes to DEFCON I]] as they approach the Passageway to evacuate Fairy... which is guarded by a literal ''[[ZergRush wall of JAM.]]''

* One ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' issue had a rather glaring example; after seeing a city attacked by some kind of aliens and he himself was set aflame, resident angel Zariel responded by shrieking "We are now at Defcon Five!" Lord knows what needs to happen in Franchise/TheDCU for Defcon 1...
** ''Another'' history-warping CrisisCrossover?
** A few issues later, a RealityWarper turning the cars into goblins and a bank into a giant living monster was referred to as Defcon Four.

* In ''Film/CrimsonTide'', Defcon 2 is the level at which the ''USS Alabama'' is authorized and directed to launch its nuclear missiles at Russian military targets, particularly land-based silos that are prepping to launch themselves. Contrast to ''WarGames'', in which no strikes were ever authorized. This might be intentional, though, as the US is not at war with another nation--the nukes are aimed at a GeneralRipper who's commandeered a Russian nuclear base, not Russia in general.

* Half-averted in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica''. When Cornholio talks into the red phone, the person in charge of the Defense Control Center becomes concerned and goes to Defcon 4 (''from'' 5). However, this incorrectly sets off the RedAlert klaxon and everyone scrambles around as if this meant war was imminent.

* During a CrossOver between the {{webcomic}}s ''WebComic/ItsWalky'' and ''Webcomic/{{Fans}}'', a strip was originally drawn with this error. When readers pointed this out, the strip was [[http://www.itswalky.com/d/20030508.html corrected]], with a note of thanks added to those who mentioned the error (though it was not included later in the StripArchive).

* ''UltimateAvengers'': The Defcon is raised to 4 when aliens are spotted, and then "raised" again to 5 once the aliens actually begin to attack military installations.
* CodeMonkeys gets it right in the episode "Trouble in the Middle East", as a US general explains what they think [[{{Qurac}} Khakistan]] is up to, with every [[ItMakesSenseInContext ImpalaVision game console stolen]], an animation on the top of the screen correctly goes from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 1.

* According to some accounts of the 1981 shooting of RonaldReagan, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger wanted to go to DEFCON 2. He believed it meant a low state of military readiness, slightly higher than DEFCON 1, which to him meant tranquil peacetime.

DEFCON 5: Normal peacetime activities
DEFCON 4: Increased readiness levels, mainly more intelligence and surveillance
DEFCON 3: Military begins deployment.......this is the first truly "shit is about to get real" phase of the levels
DEFCON 2: War is to be considered imminent, make all preparations
DEFCON 1: War is to be expected at any moment, weapons loaded with anticipation of orders to shoot.

The UK did once operate a 'Queen's Order' level which escalated from 1 to 5, [=QO1=] being the peacetime default and [=QO5=] meaning (at the time) that the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_bombers V-bombers]] had started their one way trip to Russia. The current system, dubbed the UK Threat Levels, doesn't use numbers at all, instead ranking the current likelihood of attack on a scale from Low to Critical (its most recent predecessor, the now-defunct BIKINI scale, used colours). However, these levels do not correspond to US Defcon levels - for example, the UK reached a "critical" Threat Level in 2006 and 2007. Thus, there is currently no real UK equivalent.

* In the ''DoctorWho'' episode "The Poison Sky, Colonel Mace uses the correct term when he declares that NATO has gone to DEFCON 1 to meet the Sontaran threat.

* The aptly-named ''{{VideoGame/Defcon}}'' correctly goes through the entire scale as part of regular gameplay. The game starts at Defcon 5 (which is the phase where you place your assets on the map), non-nuclear attacks become available at Defcon 3, and nuclear launches are only authorized once the game has reached Defcon 1 (and continues until most of the nukes in the game are launched).

This is incorrect, and this trope is about the misuse of these terms. Defcon 5 (codename "FADE OUT"[[note]]These codenames are used during exercises to avoid confusion with the real deal[[/note]]) is the ''lowest'' state of alert, aka completely tranquil peace time. Defcon 1 (codename "[[DramaticGunCock COCKED PISTOL]]") is the highest, referring to a confirmed state of war. The use of nuclear weapons is authorized here, but they will still require unlock codes from high authority. The highest state reached for the Strategic Air Command in US history was Defcon 2 (codename "FAST PACE", during the Cuban Missile Crisis), but the Gulf War led to forces in the Middle East reaching Defcon 1, for obvious reasons -- like being at war. The Yom Kippur War of 1973 saw a brief period at Defcon 3 (codename "ROUND HOUSE", with some forces in the Middle East being at 2), as did 9/11. Currently the Defcon level is at 5 (codename "FADE OUT").

The UK did once operate a 'Queen's Order' level which escalated from 1 to 5, [=QO1=] being the peacetime default and [=QO5=] meaning (at the time) that the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_bombers V-bombers]] had started their one way trip to Russia. The current system, dubbed the UK Threat Levels, doesn't use numbers at all, instead ranking the current likelihood of attack on a scale from Low to Critical (its most recent predecessor, the now-defunct [=BIKINI=] scale, used colours). However, these levels do not correspond to US Defcon levels - for example, the UK reached a "critical" Threat Level in 2006 and 2007. Thus, there is currently no real UK equivalent.

*** The mission started at [=DEFCON=] 4 when the Russian general command lost control of the base to the GeneralRipper.
*** [=DEFCON=] 3 was invoked when the Russian launch codes were compromised, i.e. Launch Possible.
*** [=DEFCON=] 2 was when fuel trucks were parked at the silos, i.e. Launch Imminent.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'': Yuri's Revenge uses it correctly in the intro cinematic, with a background voice stating: "We are now at Defcon 2."
* The aptly-named ''{{VideoGame/Defcon}}'' correctly goes through the entire scale as part of regular gameplay. The game starts at Defcon 5 (which is the phase where you place your assets on the map), non-nuclear attacks become available at Defcon 3, and nuclear launches are only authorized once the game has reached Defcon 1 (and continues until most of the nukes in the game are launched)

* Averted in ''VideoGame/RuinerPinball''; the peacetime at the start of the game is DEFCON 5, and the player must raise it to DEFCOn 1 and start WorldWarIII.

----

* ''Film/UndercoverBrother:'' "That's Right! It's goin' to the streets. Hey y'all! It's revolution up in this Bitch! Set the alarm for Defcon 5! It's on, baby... it's on!" To be fair, the character in this case is a ''little'' nuts.