The room that protects the US president from great disaster

The Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) is where the US president lives and conducts his work in the event of a disaster or a nuclear attack on the United States.

President Bush meets with the National Security Council at PEOC after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Photo: White House

The White House is the oldest and most famous government building in the United States. Except for George Washington, every US president has run the government and led the country here.

Over its 200-year history, this symbolic structure representing the head of the United States has been repaired and expanded many times, depending on the requests of each president, as well as the needs of national development and the complex fluctuations of the world situation, according to Fas.

One of the largest and most significant renovations to the White House took place under President Franklin Roosevelt in 1943. At that time, after the United States declared its entry into World War II, the US president expanded the East Wing and built a bunker to avoid surprise air raids or nuclear attacks.

This is called the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC).

Built with the main purpose of protecting the President and senior leaders who have the authority to make vital decisions for the United States, POEC has a very solid design.

The structure is a rectangular room, resembling a conference room with a long oval table, with two massive metal doors, one connecting to a tunnel leading to the Oval Office, the other remaining a mystery.

PEOC's dedicated phone system is located in a drawer under the conference table. Photo: White House.

The room is equipped with two secure video conferencing systems, four digital clocks showing the times in different parts of the world, and a wall map of the United States.

Through a secure online conference system here, US leaders mainly maintain direct and continuous contact with the State Department, CIA, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice.

In addition, PEOC also has a dedicated desk phone system (Integrated Services Telephone - IST) connected to the classified defense information exchange network (DRSN). The DRSN is a secure telephone network system serving the transmission of command, control and connection to all command centers of the armed forces and many other weapons.

The telephone, located in a drawer below the desk at each seating position, is a specialized device designed by Electrospace Systems Inc. and manufactured by Raytheon.

This device can use both lines (secure and regular). In addition, in the PEOC there is another black phone that can make regular calls, communicating within the White House as well as the outside world.

PEOC officially became known to the public during the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. Immediately after the incident, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and many other officials were evacuated here. Afterwards, President G. Bush held a National Security Council meeting and made decisive strategies for US security.

According to VNE