Broken Arrow
Treaty gesture for tribes
Broken Arrow is U.S. military terminology for an incident involving nuclear weapons—an accident, theft, loss, or unauthorized detonation.
The term covers mishaps from dropped bombs to missing warheads: The Pentagon acknowledged several Broken Arrow incidents during the Cold War.
In a different military context, Broken Arrow is a radio call requesting immediate air support when a unit is being overrun.
- military codeEncrypted armed forces communication
- mishapMinor unfortunate occurrence
- missileSelf-guided airborne weapon
- Cherokee NationFederally recognized indigenous government
- Trail of Tears1830s forced indigenous relocation
accident · nuclear weapon · warhead · bomb · lost · Cold War · tribal lands · Top Gun · action movie · ordnance · fractured · breakdown · reservation system · nuclear accident · land allotment · Indian Territory · regional history · radioactive contamination
Broken Arrownuclear safety
Preventing harmful radiation release
nuclear security · all clear · positive control · safe storage · controlled detonation
broken, arrow, break, breaks, breaking, broke, unbroken, breaker, breakage