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This is What Happens in an Ebola Outbreak 😨

Shawn Ryan Show

The transcript discusses emergency preparedness protocols during catastrophic disease outbreaks like Ebola, including military quarantine scenarios and the U.S. government's continuity of government (COGCON) system that activates bunker protocols and military deployment during national emergencies.

Summary

The content begins with a hypothetical scenario about containing an Ebola outbreak in Nashville, presenting a grim choice between death by hemorrhagic disease or military intervention. The speaker then shifts to explaining the historical context of civil defense efforts during the Cold War, which aimed to protect populations from existential threats. The discussion moves into modern emergency protocols, specifically explaining the DEFCON system (Defense Readiness Condition) used by the military, noting that it typically operates at DEFCON 5 during peacetime and was elevated to DEFCON 3 following 9/11. The speaker introduces a parallel civilian system called COGCON (Continuity of Government Condition), which is managed by FEMA. When COGCON 1 is declared—the highest alert level—it triggers 'devolution,' a protocol where government officials evacuate Washington D.C. to secure bunker locations and the military assumes operational control within the states. This system represents the modern evolution of Cold War-era continuity of government planning.

Key Insights

  • The speaker claims that DEFCON 3 was the alert level reached following the 9/11 terrorist attacks
  • The speaker explains that COGCON is a civilian readiness condition system managed by FEMA that parallels the military's DEFCON system
  • The speaker defines devolution as the protocol triggered when COGCON 1 is declared, which involves government evacuation from Washington D.C. to bunkers
  • The speaker argues that the original Cold War civil defense concept aimed to save the population, but modern continuity of government focuses on ensuring the government itself survives
  • The speaker describes a hypothetical military quarantine scenario in Nashville where residents would face a forced choice between disease death or being shot attempting to leave

Topics

Ebola containment scenariosCivil defense and Cold War historyDEFCON military readiness systemCOGCON continuity of government protocolsGovernment devolution and military deployment

Transcript

[0:00] If you were to surround Nashville with military and or always were shoot anybody that's leaving and you have something like Ebola, how would you rather die? Bleeding out from every orifice in your body or being shot and slides out immediately? I know which way I want to go. >> In the Cold War, there was a real effort to push for what was called civil defense. It was this idea that you could save the population from itself. And what is left is what's called continuity of government. And it's exactly like it [0:30] sounds. The government must continue. You know about DEFCON. Five is where we normally are. At 9/11 it went to three. There is…

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