AP Exclusive: Air Force sidelines 17 nuke officers

AP Exclusive: Air Force sidelines 17 nuke officers

hosted.ap.org

The Air Force stripped an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control - and, if necessary, launch - nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings, including a remarkably dim review of their unit's launch skills...

...The tip-off to trouble was a March inspection of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., which earned the equivalent of a "D" grade when tested on its mastery of Minuteman III missile launch operations.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.guardian.co.uk
security.blogs.cnn.com www.valleynewslive.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Barksdale Missile Number Six: The Stolen Nuclear Weapon
The Minot AFB B-52 UFO Incident.

I searched using the on-site search engine and Google and didn't see this posted yet. The Associated Press just broke the story this afternoon.

I don't know much about this yet, but this seems like a news story many on ATS would want to see, particularly considering past mentions of things going on at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota: past missing nuclear weapons, past UFO incident, etc.

It seems strange for 17 officers in charge of nuclear ICBMs (and launching them) would suddenly be relieved. Anyone know more about this latest news? Any back story? Any tie-ins with past ATS threads about missing nuclear weapons or the UFO incident?

hosted.ap.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

Folds also complained about unwarranted questioning of orders from superior officers by launch crews and failure to address superiors with the proper respect.

"We are breaking you down, and we will build from the ground up," Folds added. He later wrote, "It takes real leaders to lead through a crisis and we are, in fact, in a crisis right now."

Those whose fingers are on nuclear buttons, must never question the insanity of unleashing hellfire.

That also sounds ominous. The US is in a crisis?

Originally posted by ikonoklast
It seems strange for 17 officers in charge of nuclear ICBMs (and launching them) would suddenly be relieved.

The obvious conspiracy theory is that they had to be removed, so that "The Powers" could insert their more compliant pawns into those roles.
The removed officers were clearly not going to push the button as willingly as the new officers.

For me it sounds like things have gotten a bit to slack and the people above have found out and have decided to give a right royal (presidential) bollocking to those who aint been doing as they are told

According to the news and to Wikipedia, these officers who were relieved were 17 of about 150 officers who controlled 1/3 of the USA's silo-based Minuteman ICBMs as well as strategic nuclear bombers. Also:

In addition to the 17, possible disciplinary action is pending against one other officer at Minot who investigators found had purposefully broken a missile safety rule in an unspecified act that could have compromised the secret codes that enable the launching of missiles, which stand on high alert in underground silos in the nation's midsection. Officials said there was no compromise of missile safety or security.

AP Source

So launch codes could have been compromised too!

Did they ever find the nuclear weapon from Minot Air Force Base that may be missing, one of the ones that was "mistakenly" sent to Barksdale? Looking at the ATS thread for that, it doesn't sound like it:

ATS thread - Barksdale Missile Number Six: The Stolen Nuclear Weapon

reply to post by ikonoklast


We can expect as much shoddy work. It goes with the territory. If you were a silo officer and you heard of or actually witnessed a ET UFO shutdown your missile complex, would you not be inclined to throw the firing key along with the operations manual into the trash and haul a big screen TV into your dungeon? Wouldn't you start to question the whole insane setup and your role within it?

Seriously, this type of, "Why the Hell should I care anymore?" type of attitude we will see more and more of as we confront the presence of ETs in our midst. You think that is a new feeling? Guess again. Picture a jet fighter pilot zeroing in on the position of a stationary UFO and as he closes the range, and his missile radar gets a lock on and he prepares to thumb the firing button. But radar signal disappears in the flick of an eye. The target simply zips away at multiple times the F-16s afterburner velocity. It would be enough to make you want to give up flying if you were the pilot. At least, you teeth would chatter all of the way back to base.

We will all catch that disease to some extent. Every human will start to evaluate their self-worth as compared to what we witness from them.

The folks of all fields of Science will be hit particularly hard as they find themselves outclasses on every level.

reply to post by ikonoklast


Insofar as conspiracy theories go; this is perhaps among the most immediately relevant and compelling.

All the available information about the incident - occasionally oddly camouflaged within well-crafted 'press releases' - yields only to conjecture and supposition.

If this report is related to the debacle; I'd be surprised if they would let the public know.

It would be best to create the aura of separation between the two breaches of security.

Either way could this be a precedent to some suggestion that we should allow government 'contractors' to handle our nukes...? (just kidding....)

Originally posted by alfa1
The obvious conspiracy theory is that they had to be removed, so that "The Powers" could insert their more compliant pawns into those roles.
The removed officers were clearly not going to push the button as willingly as the new officers.

That comment reminds me of Stanislav Petrov who got an award in February 2013 for not being too eager to start a nuclear war in 1983, and while he was praised at first because what he thought was a false alarm actually WAS a false alarm, he was eventually sidelined, and presumably replaced by someone a little more eager to start a nuclear war:

Stanislav Petrov....was reassigned to a less sensitive post...
For his actions in averting a potential nuclear war in 1983, Petrov was awarded the Dresden Preis 2013 (Dresden Prize) in Dresden, Germany, on February 17, 2013.

reply to post by Maxmars


It's always been my understanding that they psychologically screen people who will have nuclear launch control to be as certain as possible that these people will launch if given the order. I've known at least one person who used to sit in one of those silos, and he assured me that yes, he really would have launched with no hesitation if the order came in.

I can't even imagine being as certain as he was about this. I'd like to think that most sane, rational people would hesitate to launch. I'm pretty sure I would hesitate, even if I knew that there were thousand of missiles inbound. An all-out strike, at least from two super powers, would pretty much be an extinction-level event.

So to me it seems likely that the attitude problem is a cover story. They've already psychologically profiled these people to eliminate those with attitude problems that would make them unsuitable for the job.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


I thought of Stanislav Petrov, too. And Vasili Arkhipov. Arkhipov prevented the launch of a nuclear torpedo from a Soviet submarine during the Cuban missile crisis.

Both of them saved the world from likely nuclear war. I hope there are more like them.

reply to post by ikonoklast


I think it is always worth mentioning that such a process, "screening" was never weaker than it was during the cold war. Mind you, this was not by any evil choice, but because of how narrowly the establishment came to characterize the 'criteria' required for 'honorable reliability.'

There were two cultures at play in the development of 'the process' and cannot be generalized as one in this case. The first was the military, long familiar with examples of individual honor and reliability. And the second was it's commercial cousin; the military industrial complex. The military industrial complex maneuvered diligently to seize any and all opportunity to become legitimate, empowered participants in the nation's defense... making them indispensable and thus occupying a niche which was protected from many liabilities and afforded governmental support as a routine affair.

One of the principle purposes of the exercise of 'screening' as practiced by the culture expressing itself as "military" was to ensure that those candidates for especially critical duties were 'capable,' 'competent,' and beyond reasonable reproach. Once the military industrial complex got involved, it became about the candidate being beyond reproach alone. Perhaps the paradigm shift was understood, but perhaps it went unnoticed, much like the possibility of cross-generational blow back.

In the end, the veil of "national security" will relegate this episode to failings that end up too embarrassing to admit to at a later date. I wish it were not so; but even those who research in this area know, eventually, the only people you can get 'facts' from package (fold, spindle, mutilate) it up for your consumption... and coincidentally, the military industrial complex is on the spot there as well... they effectively control the media as proxy to the 'government' ... or shall we call them the ruling political class, comrades? [/insert light-hearted chuckle]

At one point in time the Air Force stood nuclear alert, and handled nuclear weapons on a daily basis. After the reorganization the weapons responsibility went to STRATCOM (which is funny because they have no assets assigned to them), and the Air Force let training fall by the wayside. Now they're paying for it.

This is almost certainly related to the missing nuke. Questions is, what the hell took so long? That happened years ago.

Does anyone have any idea how much a nuclear bomb goes for on the black market? How do you launder a weapon that upon detonation leaves radiation evidence as to where the fuel was refined?

reply to post by Maxmars


Easy. You control the flow of information and simply lie. Haha

ETA: If it detonates in America, the scientists will 'discover' the nuke was developed in Iran or North Korea.

Can you imagine being the guy that discovered the nuclear warhead had gone missing?
You would be absolutely terrified. And that is one discussion I do NOT want to have with my commander.
'Sir, we are missing one of our nukes.'
'Hold on a second. Say that again while I clean my 9mm'

Haha

Originally posted by JayinAR
reply to post by Maxmars

 

Easy. You control the flow of information and simply lie. Haha

ETA: If it detonates in America, the scientists will 'discover' the nuke was developed in Iran or North Korea.

Ya got me there - it is difficult to be an informed citizen - when so much information is secured without oversight.

reply to post by Maxmars


I've seen where people tried selling enriched uranium, but they've never mentioned prices that I've found. Although I'd say a lot considering how much the US spent on a few secret shipments out of former Soviet countries to secure it.