Air Force calls B-52 nuke flyover "unacceptable mistake"

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — In its first explicit confirmation that nuclear-armed missiles were erroneously flown from an air base in North Dakota to a base in Louisiana in late August, the Air Force today called the episode an "unacceptable mistake" — of a sort that had never happened before.

"We are making all appropriate changes to ensure this has a minimal chance of ever happening again," Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne told reporters.

He spoke at a Pentagon news conference after Defense Secretary Robert Gates was briefed on the results of the Air Force's investigation into the Aug. 29-30 incident — one of the worst known breaches of nuclear weapons handling procedures in decades.

Appearing with Wynne was Maj. Gen. Richard Newton, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, who attributed the episode to an "unprecedented string of procedural errors" beginning with a failure by airmen to conduct a required inspection of the missiles before they were loaded aboard the B-52 bomber that flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

"This was a failure to follow procedures — procedures that have proven to be sound," Newton said.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003962522_webnukes19.html

[Fovea]

1. Unacceptable mistake, pre-iran logistics, or blown false flag op?

We report, you decide.

[FtWayneBlue]

5. false flag op may not be blown -

there is a rumor adrift that only 5 nukes are present and accounted for out of the 6.

[Sam Ervin jret]

6. Who can decide? We never get any reliable information?

They lie. They lie about lying. They make idiotic decisions that look like mistakes. They make mistakes that look like idiotic decisions! If one were not given day to to day proof of the complete madness and/or idiocy of the president one would be tempted to think this was some well thought out multi-layered spy/conspiracy plot.

Or is it that? You see? Who can decide? Once again luck favors the fool.

The funny thing about luck, as the wise say, is that the only thing you can count on luck to do is to "run out when you least expect it and most need it."

And there's no mistake in that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

14. wrong on this:

They make idiotic decisions that look like mistakes. They make mistakes that look like idiotic decisions!

actually, whether it is their mistake or idiotic decision, they claim victory, then blame democrats.

unfortunately, the democratic leadership takes the accusations to heart, rather than stand up to them.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Then impeach Cheney.

That's probably where the orders originated.

[allisonthegreat]

3. really n/t

[Demeter]

4. K&R Thanks for Posting This Update!

They better start speaking on the record if they want the public to believe them!

[TrogL]

7. So where are the nukes now?

Mission accomplished.

[Pavulon]

9. We have many thousands of nukes

including an arsenal at sea and ready to launch icbms. There is no need to move them in this way to use a nuke.

[Fovea]

20. There is if you think that the warren commission report worked

and that enough folks will buy that a lone gunman wiped N.O. off the map.

[TrogL]

23. There is if you want to sneak one in outside the system

Dubya's gearing up for a nuclear Reichstad fire. He's going to nuke an American city, probably one he doesn't like (look what he did to NO) then blame the Iranians so he can push the button (again) and nuke a country. Then, not satisfied with being a "war President" he gets to be the second "nuclear President".

I don't believe the "ad hoc" story for a minute. The entire armed forces is infested by fundies and Armageddonists imminitizing the eschaton.

[Pavulon]

24. Mass Spec

can be used to identify the origin of a nuclear weapon. Oak ridge, for example, made fuel for some weapons made in the US.

They have fingerprints. Easily identified from fallout, by any government.

While an amusing line of discussion, it is not a realistic situation.

[Seabiscuit]

29. "imminitizing the eschaton"???

Translation to English, please?

Is this what you meant to say? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanentize_the_eschaton

[TrogL]

31. err, yeah

[Pavulon]

8. News Flash!

we have nukes standing by to use in the gulf in the sea of japan and pretty much in every major theater of war. We don't need an old b52 to move nuclear weapons.

You need a transfer truck or a c5.

I am sure the conspiracy crowd will insist otherwise..But what does this event really change?

nada

[DemoTex]

11. The B-52 can move AND deliver the weapon .. the C-5 cannot.

AGM-129A Cruise Missiles Being Secured on a B-52H bomber

[Pavulon]

12. My point

is that nuclear weapons are moved by air and transfer truck. There is a fat book on how to handle and move them around by truck, cant remember its title but it is routine. They don't fly into/out of pantex on a b52.

The B52 is not the platform that would be used if the us delivers a nuclear strike. Weapons are staged where b2 and f(x) jets can deliver them with no notice.

All this false flag stuff is crap, a mass spec can identify the source of the fuel. So an oak ridge weapon is not the same as a french built weapon.

But it lets people get all wound up and paranoid.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

15. The biggest question is...

The story as supplied by The Air Farce.

Why would a large group of line monkeys and BUFF dogs ignore every protocol ever devised for the handling of these weapons, ignore the nomenclature on the missiles and their storage cases and generally screw up in every possible manner, if the was not more to this story than is being told?

There is no way in hell I believe a word of the official explanation. No way. It just defies belief.

I will go so far as to say that what they said was done cannot be done in that manner. Something else was afoot.

[dbt]

18. Except for the weapons that just got moved by B-52.

Explain that part, please.

[Pavulon]

25. A scenario similar to those

that cause jets to crash, people to have the wrong limbs amputated, etc.

A series of small failures combine to allow a massive failure.

Happens all the time.

[dbt]

30. Thank you for reassuring me!

I am SO much more comfortable now, knowing this was only a mistake. God BLESS our Chain Of Command!

[Fovea]

21. Have they caught the anthrax terrorist yet?

Didn't take us long to ID the strain. And we were told to move along, that top men were working on it.

Then biochemists specializing in weaponization of bio-agents
started getting very clumsy indeed. And a few people killed themselves in curious and novel ways.


But as you say, move along, nothing to see here.
Just despised levels of freedom in the good ol USA.

Thanks Pav, I feel better already.

[Pavulon]

26. I don't see the connection

however I am open minded. Google broken arrow events, there are plenty. Nuclear weapons have a long history of accidents.

[Fovea]

27. All the way back to spain.

I know there have been broken arrow events in the past.

My point was a response to the idea that identifiability of the device's point of origin would matter. It did not matter that the Anthrax Killer was using a Ft. Dix strain.

Our government would do the same if a popper went off. We are beyond the point where we have to explain shit to anybody. Yellow Cake/Niger, The N.O. levee system and the failure to transport the trapped citizens of N.O., the toxic air at WTC ground zero, FISA/Telcos, Cheney's divide Iraq amongst the oil companies energy conference, TANG, Justice Dept Prosecutors, and the list goes on.

How many of these has our government come out an admitted to? Yet they skate on. I think they believe their own propaganda, and reference their own cover stories to determine strategy. In light of the above, there is no crime they would blanch at when power and profit are concerned.

The worst that would happen is that they would blame Pelosi and Reid for not giving them dictatorial power for life, and the tutus would bob like a corps de ballet in swine lake. The Anthrax terrorist will never be caught. Why, because treason never prospers, for if it prosper...

[gulfbreeze]

10. This is exactly the same excuse

given for 9-11


"The officials declined to say what procedures were not
followed. But the mishandling in August would have required
not one mistake — but a series of lapses by a number of people
in order for armed weapons — as opposed to unarmed ones — to
be inadvertently taken out of a storage bunker, mounted on the
B-52, misidentified on a flight manifest and flown across the
country for three hours without anyone noticing"

[dog_lovin_dem]

13. It took them almost 2 months

and this is the best excuse they could come up with? Good grief.

[civildisoBDence]

16. "Ooops" won't cover it...

Whoever's ultimately responsible should spend some time in the brig.

Newsprism

[Megahurtz]

17. What A Total Crock Of Shit.

[Grandrose]

19. Unbelievable!

The Bush/Cheney cabal really, really think we are stupid!
Same bull, different group! It's always the pee-ons that takes the hit!
:eyes:

[Shipwack]

22. Wrong... this was not -An- unaccetpable mistake...

This was a mistake repeated FIVE (or maybe six) times! With each "mistake" having multiple components.

I worked with nukes for 18 years. It is more likely that the Brinks truck would drop off a bag of money at my house than for even one nuke to be moved "accidentally"

[Javaman]

28. the mistake was that we found out. nt

[Doctor_J]

32. Unacceptable? Yes. Mistake?

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