US nuclear weapons unaccounted for 3 hours

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This is crazy.

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_nuclear_B52_070904w/

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/05/national/a071303D09.DTL&tsp=1

Quote:

A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with five nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation, according to three officers who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the incident.

The B-52 was loaded with Advanced Cruise Missiles, part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 of the ACMs. But the nuclear warheads should have been removed at Minot before being transported to Barksdale, the officers said. The missiles were mounted onto the pylons of the bomber's wings.

Advanced Cruise Missiles carry a W80-1 warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons and are specifically designed for delivery by B-52 strategic bombers.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas said the transfer was safely conducted and the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times. However, the mistake was not discovered until the B-52 landed at Barskdale, which left the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3 1/2 hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.

Quote:

Commander disciplined for nuclear mistake

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 5, 2007 19:26:41 EDT

The Air Force continued handing out disciplinary actions in response to the six nuclear warheads mistakenly flown on a B-52 Stratofortress bomber from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30. The squadron commander in charge of Minot's munitions crews was relieved of all duties pending the investigation.

It was originally reported that five nuclear warheads were transported, but officers who tipped Military Times to the incident who have asked to remain anonymous since they are not authorized to discuss the incident, have since updated that number to six.

Air Force and defense officials would not confirm the missiles were armed with nuclear warheads Wednesday, citing longstanding policy, but they did confirm the Air Force was "investigating an error made last Thursday during the transfer of munitions" from Minot...The original plan was to transport non-nuclear Advanced Cruise Missiles, mounted on the wings of a B-52, to Barksdale as part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 of the ACMs. It was not discovered that the six missiles had nuclear warheads until the plane landed at Barksdale, leaving the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3 1/2 hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.

President Bush was immediately alerted to the mistake and the Air Force launched a service-wide investigation headed by Maj. Gen. Douglas Raaberg, director of Air and Space Operations at Air Combat Command Headquarters...Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has requested daily briefings from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley on the progress of the probe. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., a member of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, requested a full classified briefing, not just the preliminary information being provided to lawmakers, to explain how a mistake of this magnitude could have happened.

Thomas said the transfer was conducted safely and the American public was never in any danger since the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times....few critics were placated Wednesday by the Air Force's reassurances.

"Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass...Non-proliferation treaty experts said the Air Force didn't violate any international nuclear treaties by transporting the nuclear warheads on the B-52, but it was the first time since 1968 that it's been known publicly that nuclear warheads were transported on a U.S. bomber.....

This isn't just a case of someone forgetting to shut out the light after 5pm. There was a total and complete breakdown of procedure for the handling atomic weapons, and it is impossible to explain how if this happened more serious stuff couldn't happen as well.

These are the same people who are also saying "never you worry, they could never blowup." For God's sake they were never supposed to get lost either!

and not a peep from the major press? something smells.

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Where does it say that the weapons were either lost or unnacounted for?
It says they werent removed from the aircraft at the correct base,thats all.

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More hysteria from the left.

File this under "SH!T HAPPENS".

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I've posted abot that already yesterday.

Such really happens ... and happened.

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mysteryman wrote:

Where does it say that the weapons were either lost or unnacounted for?
It says they werent removed from the aircraft at the correct base,thats all.

for once in your life, try not to be such a simpleton. no one possibly could be so obtuse on purpose. when something is not where its supposed to be, in this case five nuclear weapons, their lost and unaccounted for. in the 3 1/2 hours while in-flight no one knew where five multimegaton nuclear bombs were. that is not supposed to happen, or is it in mysteryman's concept of the universe?

i make no apologies for saying this but, your remarks border on being really f&%king stupid.

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

I've posted abot that already yesterday.

Such really happens ... and happened.

that's because Europe is hours ahead of us, sorry I did not see your post

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No excuse needed, kuvasz.

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Did the pilot know the warheads were there? One hopes they didn't affect his flight characteristics too much....

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Quote:

Staging Nukes for Iran?
By Larry Johnson on Sep 5, 2007 in Current Affairs

Why the hubbub over a B-52 taking off from a B-52 base in Minot, North Dakota and subsequently landing at a B-52 base in Barksdale, Louisiana? That's like getting excited if you see a postal worker in uniform walking out of a post office. And how does someone watching a B-52 land identify the cruise missiles as nukes? It just does not make sense.

So I called a old friend and retired B-52 pilot and asked him. What he told me offers one compelling case of circumstantial evidence. My buddy, let's call him Jack D. Ripper, reminded me that the only times you put weapons on a plane is when they are on alert or if you are tasked to move the weapons to a specific site.

Then he told me something I had not heard before.

Barksdale Air Force Base is being used as a jumping off point for Middle East operations. Gee, why would we want cruise missile nukes at Barksdale Air Force Base. Can't imagine we would need to use them in Iraq. Why would we want to preposition nuclear weapons at a base conducting Middle East operations?

His final point was to observe that someone on the inside obviously leaked the info that the planes were carrying nukes. A B-52 landing at Barksdale is a non-event. A B-52 landing with nukes. That is something else.

Now maybe there is an innocent explanation for this? I can't think of one. What is certain is that the pilots of this plane did not just make a last minute decision to strap on some nukes and take them for a joy ride. We need some tough questions and clear answers. What the hell is going on? Did someone at Barksdale try to indirectly warn the American people that the Bush Administration is staging nukes for Iran? I don't know, but it is a question worth asking.

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/09/05/staging-nukes-for-iran/#comment-23493

From
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/09/05/staging-nukes-for-iran/#comment-23493

Quote:

I worked on nuclear submarines for the Navy at Mare Island Naval shipyard for 20 years. As a Nuc worker I handled nuclear material and weapons for 15 of those years. The controls on weapons and nuclear fuel is insanely tight.. This story just CAN'T happen. The amount of people involved in logistics..Code 105 radcon, Engineers, Nuclear riggers, Code 1390 Engineers..Gawd the paperwork involved for anyone of the groups to sign off on.
This story is impossible.. Something else is afoot..
Who signed off and who told them too?
AND WHY do we need to be moving nuclear weapons unless a logistics operation is underway?
IT JUST DOESN'T HAPPENThey don't just move weapons from Minot for the hell of it..

and

Quote:

As a former Airforce aircraft mechanic I was stunned when I heard the report that nukes had inadvertantly been loaded on a B-52 and flown across country. It would be a mistake of staggering porportions if this had happened by mistake. Anyone who is familiar with Airforce proceedures regarding even the simplist of proceedures where aircraft are concerned would know that it would be all but impossible to make this kind of mistake.

Those who work on the line are some of the most profesional men and women I have ever known. Every one of them understand the inherent risks that are involved in this kind of work and follow the proceedures accordingly. With the many layers of control that exist in this kind of work, there are too many individuals that have to sign off on anything that is done. Even more so when handling weapons of any kind.

Clearly someone on the inside wanted us to know this had happened
The controls on weapons and nuclear fuel is insanely tight.. This story just CAN'T happen. The amount of people involved in logistics..Code 105 radcon, Engineers, Nuclear riggers, Code 1390 Engineers..

Gawd the paperwork involved for anyone of the groups to sign off on.
This story is impossible.. Something else is afoot..
Who signed off and who told them too?

AND WHY do we need to be moving nuclear weapons unless a logistics operation is underway?

IT JUST DOESN'T HAPPENThey don't just move weapons from Minot for the hell of it...

Ring

hello?

hey..we are a little low on thermonuclear tipped weapons this week..

OK, we'll send you a few..

Make it 6

OK

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For someone who has ever been in the service. This should be no surprise.

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US nuclear weapons unaccounted for 3 hours

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