Defcon Five, also called “Defcon Level 5” or “Fade Out” is the lowest or normal state of readiness. Defcon five (5) means we are at a complete and total state of peace and have no immediate need to be on alert.

Some people have mistakenly believe that Defcon five (5) is the highest state of readiness and that level 1 is the lowest state of readiness. This line of thought has been driven into popularity as a result of movies depicting level five as high alert and level one as normal status. The opposite is true however. Defcon 5 (five) is the lowest level and 1 (one) is in fact the highest level.

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