Malmstrom missile wing fails nuke inspection

[unhappycamper]

Malmstrom missile wing fails nuke inspection
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 11, 2008 20:04:03 EST

The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., failed its nuclear surety inspection after inspectors found problems with the wing’s weapons storage area and its personnel reliability program, which monitors who can work with nuclear weapons, an Air Force official said.

Air Force Space Command inspectors allowed the wing to keep its certification to handle nuclear weapons and will return in 90 days to re-inspect the areas where it found deficiencies, according to an official statement from Space Command.

The 341st is one of three Air Force wings that maintain the nation’s Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles.

An NSI takes place every 18 months and measures a unit’s readiness to execute nuclear operations. The two-week inspection, which was held at the same time as an operational readiness exercise, ended Nov. 10.

Inspectors found problems with the way security forces protected the weapons storage area during the inspection, said an Air Force officer briefed on the inspection results who asked to remain anonymous.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/11/airforce_nuclearinspection_failure_101108w/%2e