US Air Force describes errors in nuclear missile flight

[babylonsister]

US Air Force describes errors in nuclear missile flight
20/10/2007 10h39
A fleet of B-52 bombers
©AFP/File - Paul J. Richards

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon acknowledged Friday an unprecedented breakdown in procedures that allowed six nuclear missiles to mistakenly end up on a cross-country flight, an incident which took 36 hours to be discovered.

"Nothing like this has ever occurred," said Major General Richard Newton. "This was a failure to follow procedures, procedures that have proven to be sound."

He said at least four officers have been relieved of command, including the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and two other colonels, in the wake of the August 30 incident.

Six nuclear armed cruise missiles on a pylon were loaded onto the wing of a B-52 bomber that was supposed to ferry other cruise missiles from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for decommissioning.

The nuclear weapons were discovered nearly 36 hours later when they were unloaded at Barksdale, according to a timeline provided by Newton.

An intensive six-week investigation concluded that the unauthorized transfer resulted from "a series of procedural breakdowns and human errors," Newton said.

more...

http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/071020010658.ldt7df5d.html

[Bonobo]

1. Except it is a no-explanation explanation.

No hint is given as to who or what was behind this "mistake".

[Joanne98]

2. They're lying! It's impossible to make that many errors....

Something else happened and they're covering it up!

[Crabby Appleton]

3. Like you never screwed up at work and misplaced something

[babylonsister]

5. Damn! Where'd that PEN go? nt

[fenriswolf]

4. we fired a couple of people

but never really got down to the root of the problem so.............
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. More taxpayer money spent for think tanks to come up with more lousy explanations

to cover the previous lousy (excuses) explanations. :grr:

[Selatius]

8. We should privatize security around nuclear weapons bunkers. Give it to Halliburton or Blackwater.

Because we all know that for-profit corporations put the security of America ahead of their bottom lines. Walter Reed is a fine example of private enterprise doing government work. :sarcasm:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. I don't believe it for a second.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2092587&mesg_id=2092587

Those people are falling on their swords to protect a plot to start a nuclear war.

[babylonsister]

10. I don't, either. Here's a good article from another non-believer:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x315805

[jody]

9. The Air Force report makes sense to me. n/t

[Yael]

11. For Sale: One Bridge. View of Manhattan. Slightly Used.