The world is on tenterhooks as some of the most powerful men around the globe appear to have their fingers hovering over their various red buttons.
With this, some fear it's a question of when (not if) someone makes the first move.
We previously covered the worrying warning signs that we were already in the midst of World War III without even knowing it, which might explain why the Doomsday Clock ticked closer to midnight than ever before in 2026.
Things have only escalated in the first three months of the year, with the USA-Israel strikes on Iran and the latter's retaliation, the USA signing concerning military deals with artificial intelligence giants, and Russia testing its WWIII alarms.
What is the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)?
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In the aftermath of increased global conflict, there aren't just questions about which US states would be the 'safest', but which countries. Australia and New Zealand are apparently our safest bets, but basically, it isn't looking good for the USA's 342 million residents.
There might not be much of the USA to hide out in, but if things really go to sh*t, President Donald Trump will be hotfooting it to a top-secret base that can supposedly survive the ravages of war.
In the event of all-out war, the government will enact the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), with the Commander-in-Chief obviously being a top priority. Away from Trump's 'Doomsday Plane' that can supposedly survive a nuclear blast, the president will apparently be whisked away to one of three secure sites.
The US government has outlined its COOP plans to the public, reiterating that this has been in place since the Cold War. There are four levels of emergency, with COGCON1 involving: "Full deployment of designated leadership and continuity staffs to perform the organization’s essential functions from alternate facilities either as a result of, or in preparation for, a catastrophic emergency."
What secure facilities does the US government have?
As for where President Trump would be heading, COOP highlights Virginia's Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain Complex, or Pennsylvania's Raven Rock Mountain Complex. Raven Rock is often referred to as Site R and is described as an 'underground Pentagon', recently getting one YouTuber in trouble when he was accused of flying a drone over it.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) keeps the COOP regularly updated, noting that while Mount Weather might seem a little aged because it's been in operation since 1959, it's one of the first places the POTUS could head to because it can keep multiple agencies running.
The Trump administration has assigned millions of dollars of funding to the Raven Rock Mountain Complex (RRMC), with the official COOP site stating: "The deep underground facility can fully support the Pentagon's mission essential functions including nuclear command and control.
"Army helicopters are on standby at Davison Army Airfield to evacuate senior Defense officials from the Pentagon to Site-R providing hasty access to the secret facility."
Finally, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex is seen as a backup bunker due to its nuclear resistance as the former home of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
These aren't the only sites that President Trump could flee to, with other supposed secure facilities including the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) bunker that's in the East Wing of the White House, an underground bunker at Camp David, one at Offutt Air Force Base, a new bunker under the Denver International Airport, and other 'still-classified' locations.
The COOP is regularly tested, with the Eagle Horizon exercises requiring each federal executive branch, department, and agency to test their COOP by sending their Emergency Relocation Groups (ERG) to secret locations in an attempt to prove they can keep the government running in times of disaster.