--- description: The group wrote that the Republican nominee has displayed qualities opposite of those required to hold the launch key. title: Former Nuclear Launch Officers Pen Letter Against Trump image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4274930220582d68/6988a9f6e20a87c61da92c7a/donald-trump4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Former Nuclear Launch Officers Pen Letter Against Donald Trump by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 14, 2016 3:04 PM CUT  Donald Trump pauses during a campaign event September 6, 2016 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Donald Trump pauses during a campaign event September 6, 2016 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 14, 2016 3:04 PM CUT A group of officials who once controlled access to firing the nation’s nuclear weapons have penned an open letter saying that Donald Trump “should not have his finger” on the launch button. “The pressures the system places on that one person are staggering and require enormous composure, judgment, restraint and diplomatic skill. Donald Trump does not have these leadership qualities,” wrote the group of former Air Force officers. The group said that the Republican nominee’s behavior on the campaign trail has proved him to be unfit to possess the nation’s nuclear codes. “On the contrary, he has shown himself time and again to be easily baited and quick to lash out, dismissive of expert consultation and ill–informed of even basic military and international affairs – including, most especially, nuclear weapons,” the letter reads. The letter is the latest example of [security experts](http://time.com/4522595/gop-lawmakers-open-letter-donald-trump/ "undefined") and military leaders warning of the danger of placing Trump in power. Earlier this month, a [Hillary Clinton campaign ad](http://time.com/4523386/hillary-clinton-ad-nuclear-launch-donald-trump/ "undefined") featured a former nuclear launch officer saying he’s afraid of a Trump presidency. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4531271/nuclear-launch-officers-open-letter-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4531271/nuclear-launch-officers-open-letter-donald-trump/"},"headline":"Former Nuclear Launch Officers Pen Letter Against Donald Trump","datePublished":"2016-10-14T15:04:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:12:19.099Z","description":"The group wrote that Trump has displayed qualities opposite of those required to hold the launch key","url":"https://time.com/4531271/nuclear-launch-officers-open-letter-donald-trump/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4274930220582d68/6988a9f6e20a87c61da92c7a/donald-trump4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4274930220582d68/6988a9f6e20a87c61da92c7a/donald-trump4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Virginia Beach","caption":"Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Virginia Beach","creditText":"Alex Wong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4531271/nuclear-launch-officers-open-letter-donald-trump/","name":"Former Nuclear Launch Officers Pen Letter Against Donald Trump"}}]}] ```