Gates orders inventory of US nukes

Can you spell ..

a-b-o-u-t b-l-o-o-d-y t-i-m-e !!

and this article is loaded with disinfo, too.

Gates orders inventory of US nukes

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 44 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a full
inventory of all nuclear weapons and related materials after the
mistaken delivery of ballistic missile fuses to Taiwan, the Pentagon
said Thursday.

Gates told officials with the Air Force, Navy and Defense Logistics
Agency to assess inventory control procedures for the materials and to
submit a report within 60 days.

Earlier this week, Gates directed Navy Adm. Kirkland H. Donald to take
charge of a full investigation of the delivery mistake in which four
cone-shaped electrical fuses used in intercontinental ballistic
missile warheads were shipped to the Taiwanese instead of the
helicopter batteries they had ordered.

It was the second nuclear-related mistake involving the military that
has been revealed in recent months. In August an Air Force B-52 bomber
was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown
from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. At
the time, the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms
aboard.

The electrical fuses were delivered in fall 2006, but the military did
not fully realize the gravity of the blunder until last week. The
revelation sparked sharp protests from China and forced President Bush
to acknowledge the error in a phone call Wednesday with Chinese
President Hu Jintao.

While the shipment did not contain nuclear materials, the error is
particularly sensitive because China vehemently opposes U.S. arms
sales to Taiwan. U.S. officials were quick to say that the incident
did not suggest any change in policies toward Taiwan arms sales.

But China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, in a statement
posted on the agency's Web site, that China had sent a protest to
Washington expressing "strong displeasure."

He said China demanded the U.S. investigate the matter and report back
to China to "eliminate the negative effects and disastrous
consequences created by this incident."

Despite quarterly checks of the inventory, defense officials said they
never knew the fuses were gone. Only after months of discussions with
Taiwan over the missing batteries did the Pentagon finally realize —
late last week — the seriousness of what had happened.

During that time, according to a senior Taiwan defense official, the
U.S. initially asked Taiwan to dispose of the missile fuses. U.S.
officials said that early on it was thought the Taiwanese had simply
received the wrong batteries.

Once the error was discovered, the military quickly recovered the four
fuses, which are linked to the triggering mechanisms in Minuteman
nuclear missile nose cones. But Gates has demanded sweeping reviews to
discover how it happened and whether it indicates a broader problem in
the security of the military's nuclear weapons and related materials.

In his memo released Thursday, Gates ordered a physical inventory of
all nuclear related items. Donald, whose assessment is separate from
the agencies' inventories, must provide Gates with an initial report
by April 15.

___

On the Net:

Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil

Minot inspection due .. Yeah, right six (!!) months late

Countdown to Inspection at Minot Base | Video

3/7/2008

The countdown is on at the Minot Air Force Base until the Nuclear Surety Inspection - the inspection that will ultimately determine whether or not the 5th Bomb Wing is re-certified. Airmen have been preparing for months and officials say they are ready. As the days wind down until the major inspection, the pressure is going up. "We need to do this absolutely perfectly every time and that is the goal," says Colonel Joel Westa. 5th Bomb Wing Commander Colonel Joel Westa is preparing the Wing for their Nuclear Surety Inspection. The inspection will allow the Air Force to make certain the procedures and policies are being followed when dealing with nuclear weapons. The inspection is also part of the process in getting the bomb wing recertifed. "There is a tremendous amount at steak. They want to show they can do their job," says Westa. A lot has changed since the August incident where several nuclear cruise missiles were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52 at the Minot base and flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. And base officials say these changes have only made the teams stronger. "There is more checks in the system. There were always a lot and we have added 2 more.... We`ve received help in regards to manning. Emphasis on equipment and other things that have come along the way," says Westa. A team of about 30 Air Force officials are visiting Minot Air Force base throughout March to help prepare the wing for the large inspection. Base officials are sure that the past 8 months of training, hard work and discipline will pay off. "We are honored to be here and we are going to succeed. I promise you that. We are going to succeed in this next inspection," says Westa. The nuclear surety inspection is set for May 16th through the 24th.

Senator Calls B-52 Nuke Incident 'A Wake-Up Call'

Thu, 14 Feb '08

Committee Grills USAF For Accidental Flight

Despite assurances from US Air Force officials the chances of a nuclear accident were "very, very unlikely," this week the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee slammed the service for last year's cross-country flight of a B-52 loaded with nuclear-tipped missiles.

Michigan Senator Carl Levin told Air Force officers the accidental flight was an unprecedented security failure, reports The Associated Press. "This event is really a wake-up call," he said. "As long as the United States has nuclear weapons they must be handled with the utmost security and attention."

As ANN reported, 70 Air Force airmen were punished for their involvement in the August 29-30, 2007 cross-country flight of a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber after an investigation found rules for handling such munitions were ignored. The aircraft flew from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Louisiana's Barksdale Air Force Base, carrying six Advanced Cruise Missiles with nuclear warheads.

Only the missiles were to be transported; the warheads were supposed to be removed prior to the flight, but that wasn't done. Furthermore, no one noticed the mistake until over a day after the flight.

Among the highest rank to receive punishment was 5th Bomb Wing commander at Minot -- Col. Bruce Emig, who served as the base commander since June. Four officers were also relieved of their commands.

"This was the result of a lack of attention to detail and lack of adherence to well-established Air Force guidelines, technical orders and procedures," Lt. Gen. Daniel Darnell, director of Air Force operations and planning, testified before the committee Tuesday. "There was never an unsafe condition."

Former Air Force chief Larry Welch added it was "very, very unlikely" plutonium from the warheads could have been released if the aircraft had crashed.

Despite those statements, however, several other senators drilled the point home during the hearing. Florida Senator Bill Nelson blamed "sloppiness and lack of discipline" for the incident, while South Dakota Senator John R. Thune said he was concerned the accidental flight is a sign nuclear safety protocols are slipping with the passage of time.

"This illustrates everyone is human, but we cannot tolerate mistakes," Thune added.

Levin continued to take a hard line, calling the loading of the missiles -- each carrying a warhead with 10 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima -- "a significant failure.

"While historically there have been nuclear weapons accidents, with varying degrees of severity, no breach of nuclear procedures of this magnitude has ever occurred," Levin said. The senator went so far as to assert such inattention to security, "with few exceptions," is common within the Defense Department.

In an interview with the AP earlier this month, current Minot commander Col. Joel Westa -- who replaced Col. Emig -- took issue with anyone who would claim security is lax under his watch. He stressed no nuclear weapons will be moved without his knowledge, and "more robust" procedures are now in place to track the locations of those weapons.

"Our goal in this line of work is not to make errors. Our goal is perfection," Westa said. "It's one of those missions where the tolerance is very low for error. In fact, it is zero."

B552 incident followup

Panel Cites Drop in U.S. Attention to Nuclear Arsenal

B-52's 2007 Flight With Warheads Prompted Review

By Walter Pincus

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 13, 2008; Page A02

The Defense Department is displaying a "precipitous decrease in attention" to the security and control of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, according to a Defense Science Board task force that examined the broader causes behind the U.S. flight in August of a B-52 bomber that inadvertently carried six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

"The decline in DoD focus has been more pronounced than realized and too extreme to be acceptable," the task force said in a report released yesterday by its chairman, retired Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Welch, who served in the 1980s as head of the Strategic Air Command and later as Air Force chief of staff, told the senators about his concern that "the nation and its leadership do not value the nuclear mission and the people who perform that mission."

The six cruise missiles, which were mistakenly believed to be carrying dummy warheads, were loaded on an Air Force B-52 and flown 1,400 miles from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

"No one knew where they were, or even missed them, for over 36 hours," said Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate committee. "This entire episode really is a wake-up call."

The Welch panel pointed out that Air Force colonels, Navy captains and mid-level civilians are now responsible for managing the Pentagon's nuclear programs -- a task that during the Cold War was handled by senior flag officers or senior civilians. One of the panel's recommendations is the appointment of an assistant secretary of defense for nuclear enterprise reporting directly to the defense secretary, as well as the naming of flag officers in each of the services who would focus solely on nuclear weapons.

The task force's findings were reflected in a statement made before the committee by three senior Air Force officers who had supervised two other inquiries after the B-52 flight. They said the Air Force's once-central focus on its nuclear mission "has diminished since 1991," after the end of the Cold War. At the same time, they said, "the Air Force began 17 years of continuous combat including conventional air power commitments" using aircraft, such as B-52s, once reserved for nuclear operations.

The Defense Science Board is made up of experts from the private sector and from research groups who are assigned by the defense secretary to study complex technology and research problems facing the Pentagon. It found that almost the entire B-52 bomber force is focused on conventional missions "as the accepted permanent or semi-permanent state of affairs." There is a "widespread perception in both the Navy and Air Force that a nuclear forces career is not the highly promising opportunity of the past era," the panel of experts said.

In the wake of the August incident, seven officers, including the wing commander at Minot and two group commanders, were removed from their positions; 90 airmen were decertified, some temporarily, from working on nuclear-related jobs.

The Air Force is also reviewing its inspection process for units charged with nuclear weapons maintenance; the unit at Minot Air Force base had received a favorable inspection rating shortly before the incident. Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel J. Darnell, deputy chief of staff for operations, told the Senate committee that the Air Force is considering reducing the advance notice that units receive before inspections.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Polly A. Peyer, director of resource integrations, said that nuclear safeguards were restored after the incident but that more funding will be sought in the fiscal 2010 budget.

The Buck stops at Dick Cheney's door - but let's just ignore that. Move along. Nothing to see here. Let's point fingers at Pakistan instead shall we??

Bits and pieces on the B52 incident ...

Minot Staff - for those who are interested

The predecessors: (Nothing like this has ever happened on their watch)

Lt. Gen. Robert J. Elder Jr.
Col. Eldon A. Woodie

The directly responsible:

Col. Emig
Col. Robert Critchlow, 91st Operations Group commander
Col. Marty Whelan, 91st Space Wing
Chief Master Sgt. Mark Clark

The enlightened: (those who should immediately be given 24 hr protections)

First Lt. Aaron Cook
Captain Jason Hopkin
Senior Airman Justin Decker

<<:>>

Anonymous said...

I also think Chenny is evil incarnate and is behind 911 and the plans to nuke Iran, who benefits? 1. Israel. 2. the military industrial complex. 3. the oil companies.
Yes the U,S, is bankrupt, we are lving on borrowed money nothing is manufactured in the U.S. that counts like heavy manufacturing clothing ,steel, these items bring wealth, we are totally broke the $ is toast. the only reason china doesnt reposess the U.S. is our nukes, chenny and the other crazyes want to appear the world strong man to keep the world loaning us trillions, but the jig is up the fat lady is inhaling ,bend over grab your ankles and kiss your hiney nighty night!!

First, did Air Force personnel at Minot AFB not spot the 'error' earlier given the elaborate security procedures in place to prevent such mistakes from occurring?


Who was in Charge of the B-52 Incident?


Why was the nuclear armed B-52 sent to Barksdale AFB?

However, it has been revealed that Barksdale AFB is used as a staging base for operations in the Middle East
Note, A report is due on 9/14 from the DOD.

<<:>>

Let's review the strange and inconsistent aspects of this unfolding story:

1. Nuclear tipped weapons loaded and transported skirting layers of fail-safe security measures and the chain of command.

2. Nuclear tipped weapons supposedly slated for decommission transported to a base that does not have the facilities necessary.

3. Very suspicious timing. This all happens at a time when there is much talk of the US preemptively Striking Iran and/or large scale terrorist attacks on US soil.

4. Langley Air Force Base will ground its jets for a week leaving vital airspace much less protected. This announcement will alert any would be attackers that we will be vulnerable during this period.

The whole scenario doesn't sound good or square up. Something much more is going on than we are being told!