Posted on 09/24/2007 8:00:15 PM PDT by Red Steel
WASHINGTON -- -- Just after 9 a.m. on Aug. 29, a group of U.S. airmen entered a sod-covered bunker on North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base with orders to collect a set of unarmed cruise missiles bound for a weapons graveyard. They quickly pulled out a dozen cylinders, all of which appeared identical from a cursory glance, and hauled them along Bomber Boulevard to a waiting B-52 bomber.
The airmen attached the gray missiles to the plane's wings, six on each side. After eyeballing the missiles on the right side, a flight officer signed a manifest that listed a dozen unarmed AGM-129 missiles. The officer did not notice that the six on the left contained nuclear warheads, each with the destructive power of up to 10 Hiroshima bombs.
That detail would escape notice for 36 hours, during which the missiles were flown to a Louisiana air base that had no idea nuclear warheads were coming. It was the first known flight by a nuclear-armed bomber over U.S. airspace, without special high-level authorization, in nearly 40 years.
The episode, serious enough to trigger a rare "Bent Spear" nuclear incident report that raced through the chain of command to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Bush, provoked new questions about the adequacy of U.S. nuclear weapons safeguards while the military's attention and resources are devoted to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Three weeks after word of the incident leaked to the public, new details obtained by the Washington Post point to security failures at multiple levels in North Dakota and Louisiana, according to interviews with current and former U.S. officials briefed on the initial results of an Air Force investigation.
The warheads were attached to the plane in Minot without special guard for more than 15 hours, and they remained on
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Welcome to FR.
Of course, if the Comrades at the LA Times and the KOSmanuats at the DailyKooks had their way, there would be no nuclear deterrent and America would be defenseless.
Now don't go bringing Bill Clinton into this.
I doubt seriously the “physics package” was inserted in these. Those are heavily guarded and the 2-man rule applies when moving them.
It’s to be expected that there is a “cover story” about the B-52 flying armed with nukes, but no serious adult should believe that “no one noticed” any of the dozen safeguards being broken that would be required for such an “Accident.”
Which is to say, it was no accident. Happened about the time that North Korea agreed to dismantle their WMDs and allow full U.S. inspection...while simultaneously some mysterious events transpired inside Syria, too.
On the contrary. As an ordnanceman, something like this could only happen if several procedures were violated. This isn't just an "Oops, we loaded a nuke!" This happened precisely because of dereliction and complacency at many different levels just as the article stated.
I agree. “Accidental” my butt.
Maybe we can accidentally carry some nukes over Iran?
IIRC, a previous article stated that these weapons did not have the arming devices needed for detonation. Still, the real fear is that the USAF could be so sloppy in their custody of nuclear weapons.
Can you expand? What does the timing mean to you?
Thanks!
Neither do I. Having it happen they way they describe is a near to impossible as you can get.
dont u mean accidentally drop on Iran?
Still not buyin’ it. Somebody’s diggin’ for something.
We sent a message.
Likewise, this week Israel told Syria that Damascus would cease to exist if Syria used chems or nukes.
...those two messages (one from us via the nuclear-armed B-52 and the other Israel’s statement to Syria) didn’t just happen in isolation.
Those were coordinated messages.
And you might take note that there are no protests on the Arab Street right now. Everyone is quiet because they *know* that Bush and Barak would nuke them.
We really would.
zinggggggggg!
I don't know Southack. I think I need one of your "all thest things Bush has done" replies to make me feel better about GW right now!
Well, you know. Maybe one of the weapons not secured tight enough. Could happen....
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