I didn't know that this could happen. A squadron commander removal and the decertification of the munitions crew is pretty serious. Dang.
Posted by Avatar300 (Member # 5108) on :
Paging Dr. Strangelove. I believe our precious bodily fluids may be under attack! Where is Slim Pickens when you need him?
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
It went right over our state. However, they have said the warheads were NOT armed or ready, so even if the plane had crashed, they would not have detonated....
So I'm not sure why this was such a big deal, other than a breach of protocol.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
HUUUUGE breach of protocol. And from an organization that loves protocol more than they do cute little kittycats. A lot more. Which is one of the reasons I think I'm getting out. I like kittycats way more than I do protocol.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
This is the sort of breach of protocols that will result in many heads rolling, possibly including some upper brass.
The problem isn't that there were (unexplodable) nukes flying over, the problem is the laxity that allowed it to happen, reflecting what is possibly an incredible lack of competence far up the chain of command.
And it wasn't just nukes being flown over, it was nukes being taken out of a warehouse without a proper order, several nukes being taken out of a warehouse with an order to only let one out at once, nukes being loaded on the wings of plane without anyone noticing the warheads looked sort of funny, et cetera.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
If you want to stay in, just get a kittycat and name it Protocol. Then you'll both love Protocol just the same. Problem solved.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Ha, Noemon.
And someone evidently forgot to plug in their brain one morning.
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
This is scary, but now that it's been safely resolved it's kind of funny when you think about it. I bet this is appearing in the "Odd News" sections of some newspapers in foreign countries.
Posted by Saephon (Member # 9623) on :
More like the Entertainment section Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
So how do they normally transfer them? I get that the problem is protocol, but the headlines aren't saying that; your thread title least of all.
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
quote:The nuclear weapons expert said the air force keeps a computerized command and control system that traces any movement of a nuclear weapon so that they have a complete picture of where they are at any given time.
He said there would be checks and detailed procedures at various points from the time they are moved out of bunkers until they are loaded onto planes, and flown away.
"That's perhaps what is most worrisome about this particular incident -- that apparently an individual who had command authority about moving these weapons around decided to do so," he said.
"It's a command and control issue and it's one that calls into question the system, because if one individual can do that who knows what can happen," he said.
Nuclear weapons are normally transferred on cargo planes, never on the wings of bombers, Kristensen said. Bomber flights with live nuclear weapons ended in the late 1960s after accidents in Spain in 1966 and in Greenland in 1968.
quote:According to the officials, the weapons are designed with multiple safety features that ensure the warheads don't accidentally detonate.
Kinda like, oh, I dunno...multiple checks in the process of getting to put nukes on the wings of planes and send the planes to fly around! Wheeeeeee!
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
quote: It follows reports in the Army Times that five missiles were unaccounted for during the three-hour flight from North Dakota to Louisiana.
That the bombs were unaccounted for for three hours is a rather worrying suggestion.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
See why didn't that stupid movie Broken Arrow use this premise? It would have looked silly having the army accidentally rather then intentionally attaching nukes to a plane on a test flight. But when this news event occured it would have vindicated the plot!
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I agree that the apparent lax security is more concerning than nuclear warheads flying over the US. If it's that easy for certain people in command to do those sorts of things relatively autonomously, what happens when someone blackmails them into removing a warhead from storage and then "losing track" of it?
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
In the Norwegian newspapers I read, they put it in as a regular news item, the headlines being respectively "Oops! We've got nukes on board!" and "Heads will roll". It takes quite a lot for news from the US to be put in the 'weird stuff' section. Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
When I first heard about this, besides being a very troubling breach of protocol, my husband said he thought that placing the bombs on the bomber wings would also constitute a violation of treaties we have in place with several other nuclear powers. None of the news reports have mentioned it and I've been unable to find any firm information, but just imagine how would the US would react to a foreign country "accidentally" flying bombers with nukes on them....
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Laughter?
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
ludosti: that is probably so, but I suspect Russia's enjoying things too much to bother raising a stink over a treaty, and I almost think that if they do mention it, the statement will run like "While the incident did violate the treaty, we find ourselves unable to object much to those US violations that make it more likely to nuke itself."
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I'm going to have to go with laughter.
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
The thing I find most surprising about this incident is that nobody has used the phrase 'nukes on a plane'.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)