Air Force officers relieved of duty over loose nukes - CNN.com
Quote:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A six-week probe into the mistaken flight of nuclear warheads across the country uncovered a "lackadaisical" attention to detail in day-to-day operations at the air bases involved in the incident, an Air Force official said Friday.
Air Force Col. Bruce Emig was stripped of his responsibilities, sources say.
The investigation found that "a limited number of airmen" at both locations failed to follow procedures, said Maj. Gen. Dick Newton, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations.
Four officers -- including three colonels -- have been relieved of duty in connection with the August 29 incident in which a B-52 bomber flew from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
The plane unknowingly carried a payload of nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
"Nothing like this has ever occurred," Newton said.
"Our extensive, six-week investigation found that this was an isolated incident and that the weapons never left the custody of airmen -- were never unsecured -- but clearly this incident is unacceptable to the people of the United States and to the United States Air Force."
The probe also found there was "an erosion of adherence to weapons-handling standards at Minot Air Force Base and at Barksdale Air Force Base," Newton said.
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There are two major questions in relation to this incident: the first of course is the contravention of the national security protocols; but the second is, what were nukes being shipped for anyway? Was the US preparing for a pre-emptive nuclear strike somewhere?