The downward chain of command holds appropriately but a person (I think the character is named Jack D Ripper) that shouldn’t be making such a call is in a factual position to act as if he had received one. Part of the point is that it is surprising and that the remedy to have them court martialled is not comforting at all. Yes he does not personally go to nuke the soviets but he acts on his own without cooperation with the powers invested in him.
The points do not need to be in conflict. Ripper can doom the humanity by doing unauthorised things while the bomber crew dooms them by doing authorised things.
The bomber crew equivalents also kept the cold war cold because it was plausible that they could be used for the their trained purpose.
The downward chain of command holds appropriately but a person (I think the character is named Jack D Ripper) that shouldn’t be making such a call is in a factual position to act as if he had received one. Part of the point is that it is surprising and that the remedy to have them court martialled is not comforting at all. Yes he does not personally go to nuke the soviets but he acts on his own without cooperation with the powers invested in him.
The points do not need to be in conflict. Ripper can doom the humanity by doing unauthorised things while the bomber crew dooms them by doing authorised things.
The bomber crew equivalents also kept the cold war cold because it was plausible that they could be used for the their trained purpose.