10 U.S. Government Contingency Plans for the Unthinkable

The United States government, much like any major world power, must maintain a state of readiness for a myriad of potential disasters and catastrophes, ranging from the plausible to the utterly bizarre. While many official contingency plans are highly classified for national security reasons, a surprising number of specific, detailed operational plans have been declassified or publicly acknowledged. These documents reveal the extent of preparation for scenarios that sound like they’ve been ripped straight from a Hollywood blockbuster—from nuclear fallout and the collapse of the constitutional order to, yes, even a zombie uprising.

The complexity of these threats require the military, federal agencies, and various sectors of critical infrastructure to work together under a unified, though often strange, set of protocols. Here are ten of the most detailed, real, and frankly unbelievable contingency plans the U.S. government has crafted to preserve order, essential functions, and ultimately, civilization itself, in the face of the unimaginable.

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10 CONPLAN 8888-11: Counter-Zombie Dominance Operations

This infamous document, officially titled CONPLAN 8888: Counter-Zombie Dominance, is an unclassified and highly detailed contingency plan developed by the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Although its subject is a fictional zombie threat, it is a genuine planning document created for a very real purpose—training.

The plan’s primary objective is to establish and maintain a DoD-wide concept of operations (CONOPS) for military operations to protect humankind from a zombie threat and, if necessary, to eradicate it. Created in 2011 by junior military officers for use in training scenarios under the Joint Operational Planning and Execution System (JOPES), the zombie theme served two purposes: it provided a completely neutral, fictional enemy—allowing planners to focus purely on the mechanics of contingency planning without political controversy—and its extreme nature made it an engaging tool for testing full-spectrum operational challenges.

CONPLAN 8888 is meticulously detailed, outlining phases of military response: Phase 0 (Shape), Phase 1 (Deter), Phase 2 (Seize Initiative), Phase 3 (Dominate), Phase 4 (Stabilize), and Phase 5 (Restore Civil Authority). The document even categorizes zombies—from “Pathogenic Zombies” caused by viruses to “Vegetative Zombies” from plant sources—and the tongue-in-cheek “Chicken Zombies,” referencing test-subject poultry that once reanimated.

The categorization ensures tailored responses to different threat vectors, which is the core purpose of the exercise. Ultimately, while the enemy is fictional, the logistics, command structure, and operational steps—such as establishing quarantine zones, providing humanitarian assistance, restoring essential services, and conducting offensive military action—are all rooted in real-world military doctrine.^[1]

9 Continuity of Government (COG) Operations

The overarching set of procedures known as Continuity of Government (COG) is the U.S. government’s plan to ensure that constitutional authority can survive and continue to function during and after a catastrophic event, such as a large-scale nuclear or biological attack. Originating in the Cold War, COG remains one of the most serious contingency efforts, governed by a series of classified and unclassified presidential policy directives.

Central to the plan is a carefully designed system of Succession to Office and Emergency Delegation of Authority across all three branches. This involves pre-designating officials who will assume authority if the President, Vice President, and other senior leaders are killed or incapacitated. This practice inspired the popular “designated survivor” concept, in which one cabinet member is kept in a secure, undisclosed location, ready to assume leadership in the event of a disaster.

Another critical component is physical relocation. The plan includes activating numerous Alternate Operating Facilities (AOFs)—secure, often underground bunkers where essential government personnel can continue performing National Essential Functions (NEFs). Famous examples include the bunker beneath The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia for Congress and the Raven Rock Mountain Complex (Site R) near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Equipped with sophisticated communications, power, and life-support systems, these sites ensure that even if Washington, D.C., were destroyed, the machinery of government could keep running.^[2]

8 National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan

While a solar flare or coronal mass ejection (CME) may not sound as wild as a zombie attack, extreme space-weather events are real, naturally occurring catastrophes capable of crippling modern technology. The U.S. government—through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), FEMA, and partner agencies—developed the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan to address this credible but rare threat.

The plan focuses on protecting critical infrastructure from the effects of severe geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs). An extreme CME could induce electrical currents in long, grounded conductors such as power lines and pipelines, causing simultaneous failure of high-voltage transformers and resulting in massive, long-term blackouts. The strategy calls for early detection, rapid notification, and coordinated protection of the electrical grid, communications, and GPS satellites.

Specific actions include public-private collaboration—particularly with the electric-power industry—to “harden” vulnerable components. Measures include enhanced monitoring, protective devices, and load-shedding protocols to mitigate geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). The FEMA-led Federal Operating Concept for Impending Space Weather Events details crisis management and recovery, emphasizing federal-state-local cooperation for multi-sector, long-term resilience.^[3]

7 FEMA’s Incident Annex for a Catastrophic Earthquake (New Madrid Fault)

FEMA maintains comprehensive Incident Annexes under its National Response Framework (NRF) for a wide range of natural disasters, but the plan for a truly catastrophic earthquake—especially along the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) in the central United States—is among the most resource-intensive.

The NMSZ is uniquely dangerous because its earthquakes can be felt across eight or more states, far beyond the typical extent of fault zones. The New Madrid Catastrophic Earthquake Plan anticipates widespread devastation, with bridges, hospitals, and major infrastructure collapsing across vast regions, leaving millions isolated. The plan mobilizes military assets under the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) to deliver immediate relief—deploying the Army Corps of Engineers for repairs, military medical teams for triage and treatment, and airlift support via helicopters and C-130s.

A core element of the plan is Mass Care and Emergency Assistance for potentially millions of displaced citizens. FEMA maintains massive, pre-positioned caches of food, water, and shelter materials. It also establishes large-scale staging areas outside the impact zone for controlled entry of rescue forces, ensuring operations continue even if local authorities are incapacitated.^[4]

6 NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) oversees the U.S. government’s early-warning and mitigation systems for Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)—asteroids or comets capable of catastrophic impact.

Its first mission is the NEO Surveillance and Detection Program, which tracks and catalogs 90 percent of all NEOs 140 meters or larger—those capable of continental-scale destruction. Once detected, an object’s orbit is continually refined to predict possible impact trajectories and provide vital lead time for mitigation.

If a collision course is confirmed, NASA can implement one of two primary deflection strategies. The preferred option, the Kinetic Impactor Technique, involves sending a fast-moving spacecraft to strike the NEO and subtly alter its path. For larger bodies, the contingency plan calls for a Nuclear Standoff Detonation—detonating a nuclear device nearby to vaporize surface material and generate a recoil force. Though high-risk, such a measure could avert extinction-level impacts.^[5]

5 Operation Goldfinger (Financial Market Collapse)

A catastrophic failure of the U.S. or global financial markets poses a threat that is different but equally destabilizing. While the specific codename Operation Goldfinger is unofficial, it reflects internal Treasury, Federal Reserve, and SEC contingency discussions to manage sudden, paralyzing financial shocks.

At its core lies the Financial Sector Continuity and Resilience Protocol, designed to keep essential transaction systems—like the Federal Reserve’s wire-transfer network and clearinghouses—operational or rapidly restored after disruption. The goal is to maintain liquidity and prevent a total freeze of commerce that could trigger panic.

A key component is the government’s pre-planned Emergency Liquidity and Intervention Powers. These allow the Federal Reserve to inject massive capital into markets, backstop failed institutions, or temporarily close exchanges to halt cascading collapses. Such extraordinary measures aim to stabilize confidence and avert social unrest.^[6]

4 FEMA’s Interagency Plan for a Supervolcano Eruption (Yellowstone)

The contingency for a massive, caldera-forming eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano involves coordination among FEMA, USGS, and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO). While the odds are astronomically low, the potential devastation demands preparedness.

The first phase centers on Real-Time Monitoring and Alert Dissemination—tracking seismic activity, ground deformation, and thermal-gas changes to provide maximum warning for evacuations in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

A super-eruption would blanket much of the western U.S. in ash, destroying crops, grounding flights, and contaminating water supplies. FEMA’s recovery plan calls for continental-scale logistics: ash removal, respiratory equipment distribution, and the establishment of “ash-free” food and water supply chains. Long-term measures address a possible Volcanic Winter—a dramatic global cooling caused by ash and sulfur dioxide blocking sunlight—requiring nationwide planning for food and energy rationing.^[7]

3 Federal Interagency Plan for a Severe Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack

A severe Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) event—caused by a high-altitude nuclear detonation (HEMP) or extreme solar storm—could instantly disable unprotected electronics and cripple the power grid. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CISA lead the national EMP Resilience Strategy to defend against this scenario.

The directive emphasizes enhancing resilience and protecting critical infrastructure as mandated by federal executive orders. The Department of Energy partners with the electric sector to “harden” key assets—especially high-voltage transformers and control systems—against intense current surges. The goal is to preserve the handful of assets whose failure could cause nationwide collapse.

If an EMP disables major systems, the military’s companion plan—CEMP 360-1—activates protected “micro-grids” and pre-positioned EMP-shielded assets. These allow key military bases and government sites to maintain command, control, and communications. Civil recovery efforts focus on deploying mobile generators and repair teams to restore limited power to urban centers, operating under the grim assumption that full recovery could take months—or even years.

2 Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program for Agencies

Separate from national COG protocols, the Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program ensures that individual federal agencies—such as Justice, Treasury, and Health and Human Services—can continue performing their essential tasks during emergencies.

Each agency must define Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) —the handful of operations vital to security and public safety—such as issuing Social Security checks, maintaining border control, or monitoring disease outbreaks. Every MEF must be executable within 12 hours after an event and sustainable for 30 days or until normal operations resume.

Agencies also maintain Relocation and Personnel Accountability Plans, securing alternate facilities stocked with emergency supplies and redundant communications. Designated Emergency Relocation Groups (ERGs) must be ready to deploy immediately, and unannounced drills test readiness to preserve essential personnel, data, and systems.^[9]

1 Operations to Secure the U.S. Nuclear Command and Control System (NC3)

At the pinnacle of contingency planning is the protocol for securing the U.S. Nuclear Command and Control System (NC3) during a national emergency—specifically, a large-scale nuclear or conventional attack that could disrupt the President’s ability to order a retaliatory strike.

The plan revolves around a multi-layered Redundancy and Survivability Framework for communications. The Air Force, Navy, and Army maintain redundant systems—ground lines, radio, satellites, and airborne relays—engineered to survive both physical attack and EMP effects. These networks, overseen by the Defense Communications Agency, are regularly tested to ensure reliable links between the National Command Authority (NCA) and nuclear forces.

A central element is the Airborne Command Post: the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC). Nicknamed the “Doomsday Plane,” this modified 747 can withstand EMP blasts and operate as a mobile command post for the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Equipped with extensive communications gear and capable of remaining airborne for several days through aerial refueling, the NAOC ensures command continuity even if ground facilities are destroyed.^[10]