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Does the U.S. military use floppy disks in nuclear launches?

Answer: Not anymore, but it did until just recently.

Believe it or not, up until this summer there was a place where floppy disks were being used for something other than symbolizing a “save” button. That place was in the U.S. military.

Engadget reports that the U.S. Strategic Command upgraded the system that allows it to receive nuclear launch orders from the president and send those commands to siloed locations around the country. Previously, the Strategic Automated Command and Control System (SACCS) used 8-inch floppy disks and a computer circa the 1970s to communicate emergency action messages from command centers to the field. That system was replaced in June with a “highly-secure solid state digital storage solution.” 

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.