Comments by "James LaBarre" (@SenileOtaku) on "The 3 a.m. call and the 1979 NORAD Alert" video.

These days we're in a different sort of danger. In 1979 the vast majority of nuclear weapons were in the hands of the USA and the USSR, and we focused our attention on that one country. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, there were quite a number that ended up in the "breakaway republics" (where they were stationed). And the early disorganization during the breakup gave plenty of opportunity for some of those to get "siphoned off" to third parties. So the chance of an all-out exchange is less, but we may yet see localized attacks.
3