The system is protected by a cipher that is counter checked against an alphanumerical sequence the president has. If they can not get that sequence - that is, they don't have what would commonly be called the "nuclear launch codes" in the hands of the president - they can not launch. Period. They would have to guess the string of characters, and as memory serves it has an X-tries lockout where failure to input the correct sequence results in the system refusing to continue.

Edit: this is based on personal experience with (non nuclear) cryptographic systems' general operational procedures, as well as various documentary pieces. And they're just showing the bits the public needs to know. There's probably even more layers deeper down than that. I just wanna make it clear that no, I am not a missile control officer, never have been one, and am merely relaying publicly available info along with anecdotal speculation.

As for the age of the missiles... What, you think someone is gonna "hotwire" a complex cryptographic system and, on top of that, the navigation system?

It is fail-safed. Stop with the Alex Jones-y shit. Do you really think the US would design a system where a mere two hypothetical traitors could nuke the country singlehandedly? Two traitors, mind you, with top secret clearance and probably checked all the way back to how many detentions they got in school for record cleanliness.

Edit:

The Gold Codes are the launch codes for nuclear weapons provided to the Presidents of the United States in their role as Commander-in-Chief of the United States armed forces. In conjunction with the nuclear football, the Gold Codes allow the president to authorize a nuclear attack. Gold Codes are arranged in a column and printed on a plastic card, nicknamed "the biscuit".

The card is similar to a credit card, and the president carries it on his or her person. Before it can be read, an opaque plastic covering must be snapped in two and removed.

Gold Codes are generated daily and provided by the National Security Agency (NSA) to the White House, The Pentagon, United States Strategic Command, and TACAMO. For an extra level of security, the list of codes on the card includes codes that have no meaning, and therefore the president must memorize where on the list the correct code is located. The concept behind the codes is that they permit the president to positively identify themself as the commander-in-chief and thereby authenticate a launch order to the National Military Command Center (NMCC).

The system is protected by a cipher that is counter checked against an alphanumerical sequence the president has. If they can not get that sequence - that is, they don't have what would commonly be called the "nuclear launch codes" in the hands of the president - they can not launch. Period. They would have to guess the string of characters, and as memory serves it has an X-tries lockout where failure to input the correct sequence results in the system refusing to continue.

Edit: this is based on personal experience with (non nuclear) cryptographic systems' general operational procedures, as well as various documentary pieces. And they're just showing the bits the public needs to know. There's probably even more layers deeper down than that. I just wanna make it clear that no, I am not a missile control officer, never have been one, and am merely relaying publicly available info along with anecdotal speculation.

As for the age of the missiles... What, you think someone is gonna "hotwire" a complex cryptographic system and, on top of that, the navigation system?

It is fail-safed. Stop with the Alex Jones-y shit. Do you really think the US would design a system where a mere two hypothetical traitors could nuke the country singlehandedly? Two traitors, mind you, with top secret clearance and probably checked all the way back to how many detentions they got in school for record cleanliness.