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| US Air Force to fire officers involved in `mistaken' B-52 flight |
| 2007-10-19 |
| The US Air Force plans to relieve at least five officers of their commands for allowing nuclear-armed missiles to be mistakenly loaded on a B-52 bomber and flown across the United States, the worst known violation of nuclear security in decades. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is 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 aboard the eight-engine bomber, several Defense Department officials said. One said the investigation found long-established procedures for handling the munitions were not followed, and it recommended 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 being reviewed by senior Air Force officials, and it was unclear whether any changes were planned. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #12 RAWSTORY > USAF may fire up to 70 personnel. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-19 22:11 |
| #11 Ever see a fellow wearing a sport coat with a bulge in the heat of the summer? I personally think it was intended as a subtle strategic reminder. Just saying..... |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-10-19 16:40 |
| #10 NG, you're not. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-10-19 15:44 |
| #9 Counting penguins!!?!?? If LeMay were in charge, you would see summary executions out on the taxiway. I'm not sure I'm exagerating. |
| Posted by: N guard 2007-10-19 13:36 |
| #8 ..RW speaks considerable wisdom. When I served in a SAC weapons storage area, everyone from the wing commander on down to the OIC Munitions Flight was a daily expected visitor. Something else that should be kept in mind, but has not gotten much play: Minot had just recently FAILED its nuclear surety inspection, which in the Old Days had been a cause for instant termination of careers up and down the chain, general officers included. Barksdale had done well on its NSI, but the total failure of the folks on that end to notice what was going on suggests that the wing leadership was 'teaching the inspection' - they brought themselves up to speed in time for the NSI and then went back to routine afterwards. That tells me that the bomber culture in ACC is now, 'screw the nukes, the close support side of the house is where the tickets can be punched." Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2007-10-19 12:35 |
| #7 Which means no one in that chain has done a single walk through on his/her tour. Yup. That's what led to Abu Ghraib - Karpinsky didn't walk through or mandate them by the battalion commanders. One LTC kept his unit to standard, the others .... didn't. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-19 10:17 |
| #6 Systems are there to prevent mistakes (which are inevitable) from turning into problems. I think zero is the only acceptable number for nuclear problems. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2007-10-19 09:57 |
| #5 The essence of Strategic Air Command was responsibility. Every officer was responsible for the performance of his duties and for the performance of everyone reporting to him. Even though the organization charts have changed, the ethos is the same. In this case, the squadron commander of the Munitions Squadron, the squadron commander of the Maintenance Squadron, the squadron commander of the Bomb Squadron, and the wing commander of the Bomb Wing should all be relieved of command with the possibility of dereliction of duty charges against some of them. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-10-19 09:43 |
| #4 The officers didn't do the loading. Ir's called accountability. It's still alive in the military. You want the job, then do it, do it right. There's zero tolerance when dealing with nukes. One said the investigation found long-established procedures for handling the munitions were not followed Which means no one in that chain has done a single walk through on his/her tour. They've parked themselves at their desks or buried themselves in paperwork to give themselves an excuse not to go out on the line. There's a reason there are procedures. It doesn't take a lot initiative to have them in hand and watch the crews go through their actions, step by step. It takes time. No one is really comfortable doing it. However, as demonstrated, it is necessary. There is no substitute for 'Management by Walking Around'. I think we've seen it with General Petraeus in Iraq. The letters in the 'official files' kill any future advancement and, as eluded to, plush assignments to Kiska or ROTC duty at a California university are in their future. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-10-19 09:14 |
| #3 In the good old days, SAC would have had these guys counting penguins in Antartica the very next day. |
| Posted by: Steve 2007-10-19 07:21 |
| #2 Perhaps not, Skidmark, but all other officers in similar commands will now be a lot more attentive to inventory control and ops training hereon out. Obviously, things were allowed to loosen up a little too much at Minot AFB. I also think that America should be very proud if this represents the worst slip-up in our handling of nuclear weapons. Few—if any—other nations with our size of arsenal can boast of such a sterling track record. The Soviet Union is absolutely porous by comparison. As the only country to actually use nuclear weapons in a time of war, it is absolutely imperative that we maintain a spotless record in our handling of them. The time is soon arriving where we will most likely be forced to use them once again. I want America to enter such a situation firmly situated on the moral high ground. These actions against the responsible officers are a valid part of maintaining that position. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-19 02:41 |
| #1 The officers didn't do the loading. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2007-10-19 00:50 |