A “Broken Arrow” is defined as an unexpected event involving nuclear weapons that results in the accidental launching, firing, detonating, theft or loss of the weapon.
During the Suez Crisis, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) almost triggered nuclear strikes within the NATO operations plan. This happened out of misinterpreting: the emergency landing of a British bomber; a routine exercise by the naval Soviet fleet; an Air Force escort of the Syrian president; and a flock of swans for a Soviet attack.
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