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at all times. Air Force One was primarily used during peacetime when the President traveled around the country or overseas. However, one aircraft was always on alert with a full battle staff. Known as the National Airborne Operations Center, or NAOC, it was a militarized Boeing 747 based in Omaha, Nebraska. The NAOC was ready for takeoff on fifteen minutes’ notice to be available to the President for commanding the military forces during a crisis.
    As nuclear weapons proliferated among the world’s superpowers, past administrations began to assess the threats to the United States. Plans were initiated under the Carter administration and fortified by President Ronald Reagan that envisioned a protracted nuclear war lasting days or weeks.
    The key concern of the Reagan administration was continuity of government—a series of defined procedures to follow to continue the essential functions of government in case of nuclear war or another catastrophic event.
    After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Bush administration initiated the Continuity of Operations plan for the first time. Nearly one hundred and fifty senior government officials and staff from every federal department were escorted to secure bunkers located on the East Coast at Raven Rock, Pennsylvania, and Berryville, Virginia.
    The second time the plan was commenced occurred six hours before the impact of the coronal mass ejection. The President declared a national state of emergency under National Security Presidential Directive 51—NSPD 51. This executive order, initially executed by President Bush in 2007, gave the President broad powers to ensure the continuity of government in the event of any catastrophic event that resulted in mass casualties, damage or the severe disruption of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
    The President had the option to remain in the President’s Emergency Operations Center—PEOC, located beneath the East Wing of the White House. It served as a secure shelter and communications center during a catastrophic event, an invasion, or nuclear attack. However, after an assessment was made regarding the duration of the repairs necessary to bring back a portion of the nation’s power grid, the President opted for Cheyenne Mountain. She said remaining in the cramped PEOC for over a year was unacceptable.
    While en route to Colorado Springs, the President signed a series of executive orders pursuant to her authority under NSPD 51. She placed the Department of Homeland Security in firm control of all national policing and recovery efforts. American troops from abroad were recalled to coordinate with the National Guard to maintain order. FEMA’s role was expanded to include the takeover of food production and distribution, as well as all medical facilities nationwide.
    Aboard the NAOC, she instructed the White House Legal Counsel to prepare the Declaration of Martial Law as being necessary to protect the citizenry and insure continuity of government. The declaration suspended certain provisions of the United States Constitution, including, but not limited to, civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and such other and general provisions as might be determined in the national interest by the Office of the President. Specifically, she suspended the entire Bill of Rights.
    Now firmly entrenched in the bunker located deep inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado Springs, the home of NORAD, the President was receiving her first briefings regarding the conditions throughout the nation.
    “Madame President,” started Secretary of Homeland Security Blumenthal as he brought the group’s attention to a large computer monitor affixed to the wall. He pointed to the two dozen flashing red rings around the twenty largest population centers in America, including New York—the largest—down to the twentieth largest, Memphis. “These areas indicated by the red flashing lights are not controlled at this time. The National Guard has