Here's why the Pentagon has a plan for the zombie apocalypse

The Defense Department, known for having a plan in place for any disaster scenario, has created a detailed strategy for a possible zombie apocalypse, Gordon Lubold reports for Foreign Policy.

The strategy, known as "CONPLAN 8888," is an unclassified document that lays out how the military would best respond to a potential zombie apocalypse. The plan's overall purpose is for the military to undertake operations to "preserve 'non-zombie' humans from the threats posed by a zombie horde."

CONPLAN 8888 follows a three-step approach to ensuring these goals by 1) maintaining a defensive perimeter to protect human life; 2) conducting operations that will eradicate zombie threats; and 3) aiding civil authorities in restoring law and order.

Of course, the Pentagon does not actually believe in the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse. Instead, the plan was developed by military trainers who realized that a zombie survival scenario could be a useful and effective training tool.

A disclaimer at the beginning of CONPLAN 8888 states that, "because the plan was so ridiculous, our students not only enjoyed the lessons; they actually were able to explore the basic concepts of plan and order development ... very effectively."

A military training plan based on a fictional scenario also does not carry the risk of political fallout. A training plan marked "Nigeria," for instance, could cause a political firestorm if leaked, while a program for the zombie apocalypse could not be misconstrued as real.

Currently, CONPLAN 8888 includes defense against the full zombie spectrum, ranging from zombie chickens to pathogenic zombies, in a variety of populated and non-populated areas.