Can the president launch a nuclear strike on his own?

According to Cheney, the president is always accompanied by a military aide carrying a briefcase, called the "nuclear football," which allows the president to launch nuclear weapons. The president can launch at whomever, whenever: He could launch a kind of devastating attack the world's never seen. He doesn't have to check with anybody. read more

There are many checks and balances, no officers who work with intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear armed aircraft, or nuclear submarines can launch missiles alone. They always work in twos, or sometimes entire teams. But there is an exception to that. The entire system is designed to respond to the sole decision of the president. read more

While I wouldn't put a lot of stock in the President being able to launch a silo-based or submarine-launched missile, if he or she planned things out carefully they could possibly order the launch of launch a cruise missile with a nuclear warhead. read more