DEFCON 2: FAST PACE

DEFCON 2, or Fast Pace, is a red colored condition level similar to a "red alert" warning status. Confirmed descriptions indicate DEFCON 2 represents a step just below maximum readiness. Confirmed timelines associate this level with readiness around 6 hours or less.

Confirmed records indicate the alert status may be raised when intelligence findings suggest heightened risk of attack, such as during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Specific triggers are classified.

Confirmed records indicate DEFCON 2 was reached by Strategic Air Command during the Cuban Missile Crisis in late October 1962, with the level later reduced. Details vary by source.