[ RadSafe ] " Air Force Probes Mislaid Nukes "

[Jaro]

Air Force Probes Mislaid Nukes
Aviation Week & Space Technology, 09/10/2007, page 23
Edited by David Bond

The Defense Dept. is handling public information on six allegedly missing
nuclear-armed cruise missiles about as well as it handled the missiles
themselves. Air Force Times broke the story last week that six Advanced
Cruise Missiles with nuclear warheads flew on a B-52 from Minot AFB, N.D.,
to Barksdale AFB, La. The Air Force was unaware the weapons were missing
until “routine procedures” after the aircraft landed, and the Pentagon has
been less than forthcoming about the snafu. “It’s long-standing policy . . .
not to talk about nuclear weapons, so I can’t confirm or deny that indeed
the nuclear weapons were involved in the incident,” said Geoff Morrell,
chief Pentagon spokesman at a Sept. 5 news briefing. But the incident did
prompt a number of urgent actions: Defense Secretary Robert Gates and
President Bush were notified of it Aug. 31, a day after it occurred, and
Gates is receiving daily briefings on the incident investigation from USAF
Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. Air Combat Command, which oversees
Minot and Barksdale, has ordered a command-wide stand-down of flight
operations Sept. 14 “to review processes at all of our bases.” And pending
investigation results, due about Sept. 14, the munitions squadron commander
overseeing the flight has been relieved from duty and the airmen who loaded
the weapons have been temporarily decertified. The Air Force assures that
all nuclear weapons have been accounted for.














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Version: 7.5.485 / Virus Database: 269.13.12/997 - Release Date: 9/9/2007
10:17 AM