Ok guys, I think that I may have some fairly relevant information for this story.

First of all, nothing in this is classified, just maybe more insider info than anything.

I am in the Air Force, and currently work in the nuclear missile field. Although I do not work at an ops. base, I work with 2 different guys who have worked at the both squadrons involved in this "mishap"

A Master Sergeant who worked at Minot AFB for years, and a TSgt who worked at Barksdale AFB in the very same squadron that received the B-52 last week. He even went so far as to say that he would have definitely been involved in this mission had he still been there. He said, had he been at Minot, there is no way that this would have happened. I sat down and talked to these two guys about this, because I found it very curious, being in the AF, knowing how anal they are about things...most especially nukes.

On the Minot end, I was told that it is pretty much mindbogeling that 5 (or 6?) active nukes were able to be loaded on the plane, unless there was a total collapse of all safety checks and procedures.

First of all, there is a transport crew that is in charge of taking the missile from where they were working on it, to the plane. They have a packet of information for each missile that has specific checklists to be gone over before they ever move onto the flight line. Well, its a fact that 12 ACM's were used, and I am assuming that the guys just failed to do the checks on all of the ACM's...

After the trans. guys check all the missiles out, and make sure there are no active warheads, they are taken to the plane. When the load team receives the missiles, they to preform a test to make sure that there are no active nukes on board. They then load the ACM's onto the pylons on the B-52. BTW, that particular missile is too large to be stored in the bomb bay, therefore had to be carried on the wings. There is a window on the missile, and all you have to do is flash a light into the window to see whether there is a warhead in there or not...so obviously someone dropped the ball.

Once the missiles are loaded on the plane, the crew is supposed to do ONE MORE CHECK, before they take off, as a last resort to make sure nothing was missed in the other 2 checks. The pilots cannot inheriently tell whether the missiles are active or not, there is something placed in them to tell the system that they are there, active or not..

These warheads are pretty much useless without the codes, and it is not possible for anyone to get the codes, unless we, (we being the AF) wanted them to have them. Without the codes, the warhead is useless...that is just a fact. There is almost zero chance of any damage even if the plane crashed and the missile exploded. One of the guys said he went on a test mission where the launched one of these exact same missiles, with a dummy warhead on it...The missiles conventional explosives went off, but after they dug the warhead out of a 20 ft crater with a backhoe, it was still in perfect shape. There really isnt any way for anything to happen to it unless it is detonated. These kind of nukes dont work like ICBM's, as they are not always "on". They have to be turned on, and that takes two people, using codes. Also, the codes are always rotating, and always changing, so someone cant just get them, and make them work on the nuke.

Once they got to Barksdale, right away it would have been discovered that the missiles were active, and then all hell would have broken lose. The ground crew would have discovered the nukes, doing the same checks that Minot should have done, pre-flight.

After hearing all of this, I still dont know what to think, and the guys I talked to still dont know how such a huge failure could have happened on such a large scale...but they both agree that even in the wrong hands it would be almost impossible for the warhead to be used maliciously.

Still, very strange indeed...

IF someone stole a nuke, and IF they decide to nuke an American city, then I place my bet it happens at Midland, TX. Its the middle of nowhere, hence its name, just under 100,000 people, symbolic home of the Bush family, and home of the west Texas oil patch. Other than oil, there is no major industry there except maybe cattle.

Bomb kills the market and sends oil sky high, oh and beef prices may climb.

Its almost too obvious to ignore.

We can't all take this authors "facts" as truth. I have heard many a post referring to this as fact. Until some sort of sources are provided (whether they be from the author, or in the case of procedure and history, even a consensus from the weapons board), we can not really take any of this of fact. Can we please have some more information on the blogger who wrote this? Would love if he could answer a few questions. Would also be pertinent to provide his background and experience. Hopefully, this info or availability will be available before the date of the supposed institution of martial law.

I am especially curious as to the statements regarding operational procedures with respect to the care taking of nuclear weapons. Also the previous reports of broken arrows, and weapon policy. Anyone know of a resource I can consult regarding the aforementioned topics?

As seems to be the consensus among the non-doom sayers, I agree this is quite an extraordinary claim, which is beginning down a slippery slope of bad logic desperately trying to piece news stories of the week into the end of the world (as they slip the slope i run on). The long jumps in logic are the ones that require the greatest proof, yet this article leaves those up to the imagination. Instead of taking this as a challenge to bicker, I hope we can all wait (hate to reiterate) for a bigger chunk of evidence than a blog from a man no one seems to know. At least a word with the fellow. I would even entertain a Caffeine fueled Google assault by any of the respected local fact checkers (who can research something in an hour that would take me a week). I guess we will all just have to wait and see.

Just wanted to say in some post script that I have much respect for the staff and owners of ATS, and the fact that they have endorsed this author and attached the site name to the posting. It is only because of that I choose to respond, and give this a little more respect and time than I would to your every day end of the world thread. Thank you for bringing this to attention, and keep up the good work guys!

Originally posted by KnowItAll

IMHO...DEBKAFILE is hardly a credible source...and the anomaly website...that's all a bunch of nonsensical opining.

More credible than Fox News. Anything is.

A nuke would collapse our stock market. The level of fear would be insane. Bush is stupid, but not so much that he doesn't realize he needs a country with a sound economy to wage war against half the Middle East.

A more likely conspiracy theory, albeit also with no supporting evidence, is that the missiles were loaded onto a plane because they were actually getting ready to go nuke somebody.

Then they changed their minds, and had to come up with a cover story as to why the nukes were on the plane. Perhaps we're already in the midst of a second Cold War.

What I wanted to point out is a false flag would have to follow the MO of the terrorist they are implicating, that would require multiple attacks.

In this case, one nuke, I could see a nuke detonation in the middle of nowhere then the US claiming to have stopped an Iranian attempt, that way they could even have captured people to show to the public making sure the trail leads to Iran.

My guess is off the west coast with a claim that they were heading to a US port. I believe they are capable of doing a false flag on a city, but that would be most advantages after the Neo-Cons leave power, if they thwart full effect of an attack they get full value.

They would still get immediate panic, long term fear, and resulting fall out damage would create anger from losses. But they would also get justification to all there programs that are being faught.

Just my opinion.

On the other hand, the biggest thing that keeps people from believing 9/11 was a false flag op is the "They would never do that" feeling. An attack would give them that same inability of people to accept the possibility that it was an inside job.

[edit on 11-9-2007 by Redge777]

Awesome and very thorough post! Very scary to think that there may be a bomb out there somewhere. I am glad I have my pantry stocked up...

Originally posted by Digital_Reality
One might argue that the very idea of them being transported unauthorized and then one of them being misplaced or lost would be impossible considering all the safeguards in place for dealing with such matters. I cant even get on my local military base to play basket ball without a body cavity search. How the heck could nuclear weapons get misplaced?

How could anyone successfully plan and execute the WTC attack? These are obviously very powerful people, and I dont think they would steal a nuclear weapon if it was worthless to them.

Of course the events COULD be totally unrelated, but I dont find it likely myself.


[edit on 11-9-2007 by Copernicus]

what if the gov. is just lending/giving/selling/"dispatching" a few full-operational nukes to some foreign country, hm?
i think there´s literature about that...

Facts?
I honestly don't see facts that a weapon was stolen?
Yes, there have been accidents in the past involving nukes. But here is my main issue with the original posting.

Someone in an irregular chain of Air Force command authorized loading and transport of nuclear weapons.

And that would never have been done without a reason. Given the magnitude of regulatory violations involved, the reason must be extremely important.

The paramount issue will be avoided, if necessary with repetition of the reassurance that the Air Force was in control at all times. The weapons were only missing during the 3.5-hour flight.

Like it or not, the sad truth is mistakes are always possible. These are humans after all. If these weapons were transported on missiles the weapons would not be live! Just uploading a missile with a warhead doesn't make it a "live" weapon! If the weapons never left the B-52, then they remained in positive control. All be it, not the way we all would like.

At Barksdale, the missiles were considered to be unarmed items headed for modernization or the scrap heap, and of no particular importance. They were left unguarded for almost ten hours.

If anyone has ever worked in any proximity to nukes they are NEVER, ever, under any circumstances left "unattended"! Even when cruise missiles are loaded on an aircraft with out warheads, they are guarded as if they are live!

According to one report,

What report? A conspiracy blogger? one of the hysterical sources that don't want to be named?

Early news reports spoke of five nuclear warheads loaded onto the bomber. Apparently, this information was provided from Barksdale.

That number was later updated to six weapons missing from Minot, apparently based on anonymous tips provided to Military Times by people at Minot. This information has also been forgotten.

This is from the "according to one report"? Is it just possible that the initial report of five weapons was a mistake? Reporters are human too, they make mistakes all the time. And if anyone wants to dispute that, they really need to pay closer attention!

The conclusion of the post is quite a leap in logic.

Someone, operating under a special chain of command within the United States Air Force, just stole a nuclear weapon.

And as for the "eye for an eye" for the use of nukes is well known and not secret policy. Why is it always treated with such surprise?

Originally posted by etshrtslr
I thought these nukes needed some sort of detonation code that needed to be programed in them in order for them to explode.

If that is indeed the case then one would think they would be worthless to any terrorist unless of course the terrorist are in possession of the codes.

Bush has the codes...he's the terrorist...be afraid now.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Not that it will be needed, every man will be willing to go to war after that..

You REALLY need to find out if its a false flag attack before you go to war.