Nuclear Bomb Mistake May Cost 5 Officers' Jobs

[Catherine Vincent]

Oct. 18, 2007, 12:46PM

NUCLEAR BOMB MISTAKE MAY COST 5 OFFICERS' JOBS

By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is planning to fire at least five officers for an incident in which nuclear-armed missiles were mistakenly loaded on a B-52 bomber and flown across the U.S. — the worst known violation of nuclear security rules in decades. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to be briefed Friday on the plan to fire the officers and other results of a six-week Air Force probe into the Aug. 30 incident. No one noticed for hours that the weapons were on the bomber, several Defense Department officials said. One said the investigation found long-established procedures for handling the munitions were not followed and it recommends that five or more officers be relieved of their duties.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record. Two also said parts of the report were still being reviewed by senior Air Force officials, though it was unclear whether any changes in it were planned. The Air Force said last month that one munitions squadron commander was fired shortly after the August flight and that ground crews and others involved had been temporarily decertified for handling weapons.

In an embarrassing incident that lawmakers called very disturbing, the B-52 mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., with the missiles mounted under one of the bomber's wings.

The officials declined to say what procedures were not followed. But the mishandling in August would have required not one mistake — but a whole series of lapses by a number of people in order for armed weapons — as opposed to unarmed ones — to be inadvertently taken out of a storage bunker, mounted on the B-52, misidentified on a flight manifest and flown across the country for some three hours without anyone noticing.

The plane also sat on a runway for hours with the missiles after arriving in Louisiana before the breach was known — meaning a total of 36 hours passed before the missiles were properly secured, officials have said. The Air Combat Command ordered a command-wide stand-down — instituted base by base and completed Sept. 14 — to set aside time for personnel to review procedures, officials said.
The incident was so serious that it required President Bush and Gates be quickly informed.

more.....http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5225300.html

[Hydra]

1. Busted for leaking the info, IMO n/t

[Lerkfish]

2. I call bullshit. I thinkt they're PUNISHING whistleblowers

for alerting people what was INTENTIONALLY happening.

[lovuian]

4. yep

I agree

[LakeSamish706]

3. Something smells to high hell with this... I think these guys are being...

scape goated with this.

[ben_meyers]

5. You would think that Cheney would just order

Blackwater to "disappear" these guys. Can't be leaving loose ends like this.

[LakeSamish706]

6. I hope that these guys can find a safe place to really spill their guts on this... n/t

[bullimiami]

7. ive heard that it this is virtually impossible to mistake.

something does stink to high heaven.