The US Controls Nuclear Power Plants With Old-Ass Floppy Disks

Floppy Disk
Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Haven't yet updated your Mac to the latest OS? Well, your tech is still way more up to date than the US Department of Defense's old-ass system. It's still using floppy disks.

As revealed in a report from the Government Accountability Office, the US Department of Defense currently uses floppy disks, as in the ones popular in the mid-1970s, to coordinate the nation's nuclear forces. That's right. The Department of Defense is even more behind the tech times than your dad, or maybe even your grandpa.

The description of the Department of Defenses's system from the GAO report reads as follows:

"This system coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker support aircrafts. It runs on an IBM Series/1 Computer—a 1970s computing system—and uses 8-inch floppy disks."

Naturally, the GAO suggested an update, especially since this and other archaic systems are funded with $61 billion of taxpayer money. Sadly, the outdated tech doesn't stop at floppy disks. The report also noted that the Department of the Treasury relies on a computer language that was in use in the 1950s. OK, now that's definitely your grandpa's tech.

In response, the BBC reports that Pentagon spokeswoman Valerie Henderson stated, "This system remains in use because, in short, it still works. However, to address obsolescence concerns, the floppy drives are scheduled to be replaced with secure digital devices by the end of 2017." In addition, the report mentions that the Department of Defense scheduled a "full system replacement" that's suppose to be completed by 2020.

Still though, this is long overdue.

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Kara King is a News Writer and really needs to update her OS. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow her at @karatillie.