3) Under attack, nuclear forces had a counter-intuitive characteristic. If damage to communication infrastructure, headquarters, etc, was slight, then nuclear military units were operational: they could acquire information and carry all orders and confirmations to launch a strike, or countermand one, according to phased, formal procedures. When the damage was heavy, individual units were isolated and thus could take decisions (to launch or not) on their own, as full responsibility would fall back on local command.