Petrov himself didn’t have the authority to launch a counterstrike, nor would his word have been sufficient for it—the system was designed to require multiple sources reporting a launch. Petrov did do something valuable anyway: he exposed a flaw in the Soviet early-warning system.
Petrov himself didn’t have the authority to launch a counterstrike, nor would his word have been sufficient for it—the system was designed to require multiple sources reporting a launch. Petrov did do something valuable anyway: he exposed a flaw in the Soviet early-warning system.