Corrected entry: In one scene Denzel Washington says that the last time American went to DEFCON three was during the Cuban Missile Crisis (which occurred in 1962). They apparently didn't look far enough forward in the history books. In October 1973 when Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on Israel, America upgraded to DEFCON three because of fears that the Soviets may also intervene.
Twotall
7th Nov 2002
Correction: Character mistake by Commander Hunter, one that was not caught (or at least, not corrected publically) by the Captain.
Twotall