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Fifth AF Unit Fails Nuke Inspection
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ShareDecember 17, 2008 5:11 PM
ABC News' Luis Martinez Reports: For the fifth time this year an Air Force unit has failed an inspection of its operational readiness to handle its nuclear weapons stockpile, but Air Force officials say the failure spotlights a beefed up inspection process reinvigorated this year in the wake of a series of Air Force missteps that have refocused the service's attention on its nuclear mission.
According to a statement from Air Force Space Command, the 90th Missile Wing from F.E.Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming underwent a two-week inspection that identified " deficiencies in several areas," but "the wing remains certified to perform its strategic mission."
It is the fifth unit this year to have failed a "Nuclear Surety Inspection" or NSI, a comprehensive inspection conducted by the Air Force's Inspector General that measures a unit's nuclear readiness. The inspections cover the administration of a unit's operations, the supervision of missiles, facility maintenance and security of nuclear materials.
So far two of the Air Force's bomb wings and three missile wings have failed their NSI's this year, but despite the failures all of them maintained their certification to continue handling nuclear weapons.
In May, the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota failed a NSI when security personnel were observed playing videogames on their cellphones while on watch. Last month, the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana had issues with a personnel program that ensures only highly trained personnel are allowed to work near nuclear weapons.
The inspections failures add to the Air Force's troubles at a time when it has refocused attention on its nuclear mission in the wake of embarassing missteps. These included the revelation in March that two years before, the Air Force had mistakenly shipped four nuclear warhead cone assemblies to Taiwan. Ultimately 15 officers, including six generals received punishments for their involvement in the incident. That incident coupled with B-52's carrying nuclear armed cruise missiles over the nation's heartland ultimately led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to fire Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley.
It is Defense Department policy not to release the specific findings from NSI's, but a Defense Official says that unlike the other two wings, the failures did not involve security or personnel readiness, but rather paperwork related to the maintenance of checklists used to maintain the Minuteman missiles housed at the base's nuclear silos. The wing now has 90 days to rectify the specific failures in preparation for a follow-on inspection. The wing at Minot passed its second review, the Malmstrom review is scheduled for early next year.
The Space Command statement says, "with the added emphasis and focus placed on the nuclear enterprise, Air Force Space Command has increased the intensity, depth and rigor of all inspection activities to ensure that every aspect of a unit's mission is thoroughly examined."
Air Force Space Command spokesman Col. Dewey Ford says of the inspections, "we've really beefed them up, these are tough tests that have been reinvigorated." The test consists of 13 measures of readiness and Ford says that if one of those is rated a failure then the whole review rates as a failure. "It is a test where you have to get everything right."
Col. Ford says failures aren't unusual in the NSI process and that "historically there have always been failures involving the NSI's." But with the refocus on the nuclear mission another Air Force officer says "failure is now part of the equation." Another official said the failures should be looked at in perspective, "It's like you have a 1,000 questions on a test and you miss one and you fail," but the important thing is you are still certified to conduct the nuclear mission.
December 17, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (5)
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It is amazing how transparent they are in this issue when this is all about national security concerns already.
Posted by: Busby SEO Test Gary Viray | Dec 17, 2008 8:52:21 PM
Schlesinger wrote that “over the past 10 years, inspection pass rates point to anomalies that indicate a systemic problem in the inspection regime. Something is clearly wrong.”
Posted by: pieco | Dec 18, 2008 3:47:38 AM
They will all pass as soon as the new Global Strike Command comes on line. It's all part of the bigger picture of saving the day.
Posted by: Rocky | Dec 18, 2008 9:38:15 AM
"Failure is now part of the equation." That's exactly what you want to hear about those who manage the world's most indiscriminately destructive weapons.
Posted by: rick | Dec 18, 2008 5:22:06 PM
as a air force vet, it pains me to see the way the air force has lost it's way. it seems they are more concerned with reinventing themselves than focusing on their missions, it was simple, mac, tac, and sac. it worked right up to the mid 70's when airforce leadership became managers and forgot they where first and formost the tip of the spear.
you can look at misjudgments that have occurred at the highest levels of leadership over and over with what i see as sense of c.y.a. above all else as the main problem.
fail an inspection like this and the base commander shouls be relieved. any troops caught playing video games! demoted. where are the officers who's job it is to inspire and lead!..
Posted by: cj | Dec 30, 2008 12:14:30 PM
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