No Objection Topeclassification in Full 2013 1_1 15 NLC-126-21-45-2 _8 _ CONFID TJ - • -- -c·· 'i ' l ' _ _ llr _ ' _ _ _ FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEME i'JT AGENCY Washington D C 20472 The President Th e White House Washington DC 20500 JUN 4 1980 Dear Mr President C At your request the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff JCS conducted an exercise NINE LIVES during the period May 6-8 1980 NINE LIVES was designed to exercise at national level those individuals and organizations directly involved in planning for continuity of government leadership U Organizations participating in this exe cise consHlted of the Whitl House Military Office WHMO White House Communications Agency WHCA Department of State DOS Department of Justice DOJ Central Intelligence Agency CIA National Communications System NCS JCS and FEMA Assistance in planning for the exercise was also provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency DIA C The players participating were confronted with a rapidly deteriorating worldwide situation leading to nuclear war Sufficient time was allowed to disperse selected Preiidential successors to pre-identified locations prior to the attack These successors were played by surrogates from the White House Department of the Treasury and FEMA C The following emergency plans and procedures were reviewed exercised on a coordinated basis and evaluated by the JGS FEMA and the White House Military Office during this period - The deciaion process for selecting Presidential successors to be dispersed - Successor dispersal under strategic warning when time is available - Successor TREETOP TEAM plan to support a dispersed successor - Successor dispersal under tactical warning when only rrdnimal time is available - White House Communications Contingency Team movement to an emergency location for Presidential support - Dispersal of the Vice President under tactical warning A tt CONFIDENTI No Objection Classlfted bJ J u L Vl 4 Dedassffy 7 Rmew for Declasslflcatlon on '° o - - C-1 J - Extended by_·_ _ _ _ _ __ Reason for utemon ------ Declassification in Full 2013 11 15 NLC-126-21 No Objection To Declassificatio n in Full 2013 1_1 15 NLC-1_26-21-45- -8 11'1_ CONFIOENTI 2 - Joint Emergency Evacuation Procedures for the dispersal of senior government officials other than successors - Utilization of two National Emergency Airborne Command Post aircraft for Presidential survival - Rendezvous procedures between dispersal helicopter and National Emergency Airborne Command Post Single Integrated Operations Plan execution exercise - Communications connectivity between dispersed successors - Presidential Emergency Action Documents and their implementation procedures - Activation of Emergency Broadcasting System from· the National Emergency Airborne Command Post U To my knowledge this was the first time a coordinated and concurrent exercise of emergency plans in support of the President and his potential successors has been conducted and I feel we accomplished our objective The deficiencies encountered during the exercise will be addressed by FEMA and the other participating organizations and actions will be taken to correct them as soon as possible A detailed report of identified problem areas with recommendations for corrective actions is being prepared Respectfully 07tf £U n w Macy c J Director CONFlnENTIAL