About Defcon Level | Defense Readiness Intelligence

Who We Are

Defcon Level is a U.S.-based intelligence organization dedicated to keeping the public informed about current world events and global threats. We assess threat levels as accurately as possible through thorough open source intelligence (OSINT) gathering and analysis.

Founded in 2013 by investigative journalist and geopolitical analyst Donald Standeford, we started as an OSINT alerts website and have grown into a worldwide intelligence community with contributors across the globe.

Our Intelligence Network

Our community includes members from diverse backgrounds who contribute to our unique intelligence filtration system:

Military Personnel - Active duty, veterans, and military analysts
Intelligence Analysts - Professional intelligence and data analysts
Technical Experts - Computer scientists and cybersecurity professionals
Nuclear Specialists - Nuclear professionals and subject matter experts
Field Contributors - Sources in conflict zones and hotspots worldwide

This system allows us to gather OSINT intelligence, quickly analyze and filter information, and report alerts as accurately and rapidly as possible.

Specialist judgment is applied where a call needs it. Every claim is checked against our verification standards, and where something turns on expertise a rule cannot supply, a claim about a reactor, a missile system, a malware family or a force movement can go to someone in our community who works in that field. That catches the two opposite errors a generalist makes: treating a routine event as alarming, and missing the significance of something that looks unremarkable.

One discipline governs all of it. Our network decides what is worth looking at, and it never becomes the citation. Every development it surfaces is traced to primary documents before it is written up. A contributor's tip is a lead. It is never a source.

What We Monitor

Defcon Level monitors multiple threat vectors to provide complete situational awareness:

Military Readiness - U.S. and global military posture and movements
Nuclear Threats - Nuclear proliferation and strategic weapon developments
Terror Threats - Global terrorism and security concerns
Geopolitical Tensions - International conflicts and diplomatic crises
Cyber Threats - Major cyberattacks and digital warfare

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the current DEFCON level made public?

No, the official DEFCON level is classified and not released publicly in real-time for security reasons. The status levels on this website are determined by community intelligence alerts and known threats but are not recorded on the official Change History page until a status change is revealed to the public by the U.S. government. The alert status for each military branch may also differ at any given time.

How accurate are your estimates?

A "guess" is a casual or spontaneous conclusion. An "estimate" is based on thought and/or data. We collect large amounts of data and put forth an estimate of what our intel community believes it should be based on all of the open source (OSINT) intelligence and data we've collected from all over the world and our analysis of that data. The live alerts are in no way trying to guess the government alert status - it is a separate assessment based on data that we have. No level change goes live until our team confirms it.

What's the difference between regional and overall levels?

Although the regional alert levels may seem to affect the overall alert level, they are not inherently connected and are separate level systems. The regional levels indicate military readiness for each U.S. Combatant Command area, while the overall level is more of an indicator for risk of overall war and/or nuclear conflict. The nuclear risk has its own indicator on our Alerts Page. The only reason the regional levels might seem to influence the overall level system would be because specific events may affect both level systems, not necessarily because the level systems affect or influence one another.

Do the warnings show risk of nuclear war, conflict, or both?

The Regional Alerts on this site show risk of war or conflict, the nuclear alerts show nuclear risk. The Overall Level includes both military readiness and nuclear risk. Our alert levels include nuclear risk levels.

Is DEFCON 1 good or bad? Is DEFCON 5 good or bad?

DEFCON 1 is bad - it is the highest alert level and means maximum military readiness with nuclear war imminent or a state of war. DEFCON 5 is good - it is the lowest level, indicating normal peacetime conditions. Remember: the lower the number, the higher the threat.

Has the U.S. ever been at DEFCON 1?

No. The United States has never confirmed reaching DEFCON 1 since the DEFCON system was established in 1959.

What's the highest DEFCON level the U.S. has ever reached?

The highest confirmed level was DEFCON 2, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when Strategic Air Command was ordered to DEFCON 2.

When was the last official DEFCON change?

The last confirmed change released to the public was September 11, 2001, when forces were raised to DEFCON 3 following the terrorist attacks. Visit our History page for complete records. Although our current DEFCON level is updated based on community alerts and information, we do not record the level as 'official' until the official level has been released to the public.

What events can change the DEFCON level?

Things that can affect the alert level include imminent nuclear threats or a heightened state of alert in one or more of the U.S. military branches. Major international conflicts, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, and terrorist threats can also influence the assessment.

Why aren't your alerts continually focused on [X] ongoing conflict?

We prioritize our focus on conflict escalation or escalation potential, especially international conflict escalation, over ongoing conflicts that have not shown a heightened risk of escalating further for a while. This means we may initially focus on a new conflict due to its "unknown variable" aspect regarding escalation, but may reduce focus as the conflict continues without escalation. We do continue to monitor all conflicts on an ongoing basis and will increase coverage if an escalatory action occurs that risks a greater conflict.

How do I receive alerts and news from Defcon Level?

News and alerts are posted on our subscription platforms first, then to this website and our social media channels. We post instant alerts on the Alert Flash section for free. Although this website contains important alerts and information, our paid platforms include full statements, images, videos, conversation transcripts, documents, and other exclusive information.

Which paid platform is best for me?

Patreon (2nd and 3rd tier) contains all alerts, news and intel in one platform. The 3rd tier includes extra content like videos, statements, transcripts, and research.

Defcon Alerts is a more affordable platform meant mainly for critical alerts.

The Standeford Journal is our news platform with longer, more detailed intel reports. SJ focuses on quality over speed, with thoroughly researched geopolitical analysis.

Is Defcon Level unbiased in their reporting?

Defcon Level is biased towards 'truth' outside of propaganda, beyond slant, beyond manipulative agendas and beyond narrative. What is truth? Whatever the evidence supports. We are human, but we do our very best to report based on intel, information, evidence and facts.

What side of the political spectrum does Defcon Level lean?

We don't believe that truth is (or should be) regulated by any political spectrum and is instead outside of said spectrum. Furthermore, we believe that a little maturity and respect goes a long way in honoring differences in opinion among people. Our intel community is comprised of people of all political leanings, and we strive to report the news based on facts and truth, not political opinion.

How is Defcon Level funded?

We depend entirely on ad revenue, donations (crowdfunding), paid subscriptions and affiliate programs to continue operating. You can support us through our Contribute page.

How do I share the DEFCON level on my website?

To share the DEFCON level status on your website, copy the share code located on our share page and paste it into your own website.

What time zone does Defcon Level use?

Defcon Level uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) for all services.

Our Commitment

Defcon Level is committed to reporting based on intel, information, evidence, and facts - not political bias or agenda. Our community includes people of all political perspectives.

What we require before we publish:

Sourcing - Every statistic, date and named figure must trace to a source attributed alongside it. An unsourced figure is a blocking error, not a style note.
Primary documents - Links point to government releases, ministry statements, official filings and issuing authorities, not to another outlet's coverage of those documents.
No anonymous attribution - No "sources say", no "reports suggest", no unnamed officials.
Unknowns are published, not dropped - A claim we could not confirm is published as an intelligence gap naming what is missing and what would settle it, rather than a sentence smoothed over the top of it.
Corrections in the open - When we get something wrong, we say so.

Read Our Disclaimer

Defcon Level is a private intelligence gathering informative organization to keep the public updated on current world events, threats and conflicts around the world.