Hey DU: The Nuclear Mistake may be just a Mistake.

[Flabbergasted]

US Air Force Decides to Retire Advanced Cruise Missile
March 2007

http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/03/us_air_force_decides_to_retire.php

The U.S. Air Force has decided to retire the Advanced Cruise Missile, the most modern and capable nuclear cruise missile in the U.S. arsenal, according to information obtained by the Federation of American Scientists.

The decision affects approximately 400 ACMs (AGM-129A) currently deployed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Each missile carries a W80-1 warhead with a yield of 5-150 kilotons. The ACM is designed for delivery by B-52H strategic bombers.

FAS analyst Hans Kristensen noticed elimination of funding for the ACM in the Air Force’s FY2008 budget request, and a subsequent email to the Air Force confirmed the decision to retire the weapon system. The Air Force has not announced when the retirement will be completed, but it appears to be within the next year.

The decision to retire the ACM is part of the reduction of strategic nuclear warheads under the 2002 SORT agreement (Moscow Treaty), which limits U.S. and Russian operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a maximum of 2,200 by 2012. To meet the treaty limit, the United States already has reduced the number of nuclear warheads on sea-launched ballistic missiles and is in the middle of a download of warheads from land-based ballistic missiles. Confirmation of the ACM retirement is the first public statement about a reduction of warheads on the bomber force.

The ACM is one of two nuclear cruise missiles in the U.S. arsenal, but the only nuclear cruise missile built with stealth technology to evade radar detection. The ACM, which has hard target kill capability, was produced by General Dynamics between 1987 and 1993. The initial plan was to produced nearly 1,500 missiles but the program was cut back to 460 missiles in 1991. The Air Force has not decided what to do with the retired ACM airframes, but is exploring alternative uses such as converting them to carry conventional warheads or use in missile tests.

The Air Force also has an inventory of approximately 1,300 older Air Launched Cruise Missiles (AGM-86B), which also carry the 80-1 warhead. The Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) has just completed a life-extension program, and funding continues through 2013. It is estimated that the ALCM force will be reduced by two-thirds over the next five years.

The United States currently has total stockpile of nearly 9,900 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 4,700 are operationally deployed. Approximately 2,000 warheads are in the Responsive Force, a reserve of extra warheads available to increase the operational force if necessary. The remaining 3,000 warheads are scheduled to be dismantled. After the reductions under the SORT agreement are completed in 2012, the United States will still have a nuclear stockpile of nearly 6,000 warheads.


http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/03/us_air_force_decides_to_retire.php

[The Stranger]

1. Well okay then.

Wait -- what?

[Flabbergasted]

4. No tinfoil necessary. This was an ongoing program.

[L. Coyote]

2. As nuclear mistakes go, this one isn't bad. No explosions! n/t

[TwilightGardener]

3. Well, that's no fun--killjoy!

[nebenaube]

5. hmm

And you believe that they would retire the ones with stealh capacity?

[Flabbergasted]

8. According to this yes.

[Megahurtz]

13. That's Why They Were

mounted on the wings in ready position because they were being retired.:eyes:

:rofl:

Good God I hope you're not that gullible.

[Flabbergasted]

17. I believe the author of the article is vastly more knowledgeable than you.

and for all practical purposes there are already subs in the region with nuclear weapons. If they wanted to drop nukes on Iran they wouldn't start their journey already armed from North Dakota.

[Megahurtz]

24. So You Claim To Know

for a fact how knowledgeable I am? Sounds like an attempt at a "cheap shot". Nice try but no go.

[Flabbergasted]

27. I don't make cheap shots.

[Megahurtz]

28. Minimizing What Knowledge I Have

by simply assuming that am not very knowledgeable and then verbalizing it, is a cheap shot.
You know nothing about my background.
It's like calling someone stupid. :think: Then you turn around and deny doing it!

You didn't have to mention me personally in this way, but you did.

I'm am tired of some people on D.U. that do this.
Good thing that there are still many that are above these humiliating tactics.

[Flabbergasted]

31. Read Post 13 and 15. Do they apply as well?

[Megahurtz]

36. I Was Not Implying That

you were unintelligent or stupid. I was implying denial on your part.
That's much different than making a crack about how lacking in knowledge a person may be.

There are many intelligent people that can be gullible or in denial sometimes.
It has nothing to do with knowledge.

[mmonk]

19. Maybe they have a retirement method in mind.

[Megahurtz]

15. AND Might I Add

that they were flown to a Military base that is being used
as a jumping off point for Middle East operations.:think:

Hmmm I dunno....think what you want I guess. :shrug:

[Flabbergasted]

20. and surprisingly enough to decommission these very weapons.

[LSK]

6. what better way to get rid of them then to explode them over Iran

:hide:

:tinfoilhat:

[Flabbergasted]

12. Six warheads with ten times the capacity of hiroshima?

[LSK]

14. notice the tinfoil

[onethatcares]

7. isn't the carrying of the nukes over the homeland the problem?

not that they were being retired, or anything else. I was under the impression that the 5 or 6 nukes were loaded on a plane and mistakenly flown to Louisiana, something that is not allowed for some reason or other. Or mistakenly loaded on a B52 for transport to Louisiana in lieu of a different set of missles.

If someone could make a mistake loading missles onto anything, there is a great big problem just waiting to happen.

[Flabbergasted]

9. Yep, and its likely that is where they will stay.

[Canuckistanian]

10. Hmmmm...... Nah, too simple

There HAS to be a plot somewhere involving Cheney, some rogue Romanian spies and a vat of Cheese Whiz.

If I could only find the connection.....

[spanone]

11. well, if there was ever an administration to give the benefit of the doubt to......

:sarcasm:

[TomInTib]

16. Weren't those missiles 129B's?

I do believe they were.

[Flabbergasted]

18. I looked. Can you find a link? nt

[TomInTib]

21. Maybe I dreamed it. At my age, it's hard to tell.

But I am pretty sure they were B-class Cruise Missiles.

They pack a heck of a lot more punch than the A-class.

[Flabbergasted]

22. Waiting for the story? Chang?

[Rick Myers]

37. Raytheon reports there is no such thing as a 'B' model

The AF created a designation, but it was never used.

[TomInTib]

38. Thanks. I don't know why I thought that.

But I could just swear that I read it somewhere.

[Flabbergasted]

39. Maybe it is the old age thing? Shrug

[QueenOfCalifornia]

23. hmmm, let's see

They are going to "retire" the Cruise Missiles - this is right from the report you posted:

The U.S. Air Force has decided to retire the Advanced Cruise Missile, the most modern and capable nuclear cruise missile in the U.S. arsenal, according to information obtained by the Federation of American Scientists.

The decision affects approximately 400 ACMs (AGM-129A) currently deployed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Each missile carries a W80-1 warhead with a yield of 5-150 kilotons. The ACM is designed for delivery by B-52H strategic bombers.

Why are they getting rid of "...the most modern and capable nuclear cruise missile in the U.S. arsenal...?"

I know that yesterday, this information was included in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/05/AR2007090500762.html?hpid=sec-nation

But I don't believe any of it... It just does not make sense that they are retiring "...the most modern and capable nuclear cruise missile in the U.S. arsenal..."

Especially since Paul Wolfowitz has marked each one with a kiss and a bear hug.

[Flabbergasted]

26. I'm trying to figure out a realistic reason why they'd lie about it.

Here is an interesting discussion which may give you some answers.

http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/22-495.aspx

Article:

http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/3605g0m20h18877w/fulltext.pdf

[yardwork]

25. I feel so much better already!

Next I'm going to decide that there really WERE weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Saddam was behind 9/11, and nobody could have guessed that the levees in New Orleans would fail. Man, I'm feeling less and less stressed!

It's unbelievable how much better I feel! Next I'm going to decide that David Vitter never wore a diaper in his life (he was born toilet trained), that Senator Craig really does just have a wide stance and likes to pick used toilet paper up from the floor of airport bathroom stalls, and Karl Rove really is just retiring to spend more time with his family.

Bush really is a godly man who speaks to Jesus. He's made a few mistakes (who hasn't?) but overall he's done a great job protecting this country.

This country absolutely elected George W. Bush in two elections, and anyone saying different is just a poor loser. America really is the best country on earth (which is only 6,000 years old, by the way), and God put dinosaur fossils here to test our faith. God, by the way, is a man with a long white beard (matching his pure white skin) who sits on a golden throne up above the clouds. He loves everyone even all the non-Christians who are going to hell. He loves everyone but he smites anyone who doesn't agree with his follower Pat Robertson.

I've never felt so relaxed and happy in my life!

[lyonn]

30. Darned if you don't have a way with words and logic...

Even I feel the comfort and happiness now that is has been explained.

[onethatcares]

32. I wuv you.

wow, speechless I am

[FourScore]

40. Bliss.

It's truly a feeling of bliss...

[JackORoses]

29. the nukes were never supposed to be on that plane

They were already at the base where we are told they were to be 'decommissioned'.

Remember, these ACMs weren't just in boxes in the cargo hold,
They were mounted onto the aircraft.

How do you mount 6 thermonuclear warheads on a plane without orders to do so?

There are many layers of security around theses nukes. It's not like some grunt could just mistake them for the wrong thing, cart them out to the plane, and install them without anyone's approval.

These nukes were loaded on orders and flown on orders...

but the bit about leaking it to the Media, that wasn't orders,
That was Patriotism.

Thank you, Anonymous Patriot
Whoever you are.

[never_get_over_it]

33. Well the reason I don't think it is a mistake

this so called mistake was LEAKED and I think the folks leaking (I think I heard that there were six who reported it) - it may have been trying to "warn" us of something - if it was a "harmless" mistake they wouldn't have leaked it....doesn't make sense....also there are suppose to be so many safeguards that a mistake also seems unlikely

This brings me to a pet peeve of mine - for years - so many people state this administration is incompetent - I don't think they are really so incompetent - I think they want things to be just the way they are...

[Flabbergasted]

34. There are lots of reasons why something is leaked

The missiles are going to Iran is just one. And not a very likely one in my opinion.

Was it a mistake? Yes, my topic line states it was.

[Karenina]

35. Just like invading and occupying Iraq were

"mistakes," albeit in retrospect. Not to worry. We're kicking ass. :eyes: