A Trident missile at liftoff. Photograph: AP (Photo from The Guardian)Confirmed: Air Force Falls Short in Third Nuke Test
-- The Danger Room
-- The Danger Room
Now, it's confirmed. The Air Force has indeed blown a third test of its nuclear handling capabilities, as Danger Room first reported over the weekend. In a memo, the Air Force confirmed that the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base "rated unsatisfactory" on its nuclear surety inspection. Testers found fault with the missile unit's "management and administration," as well as "tools, tests, tie-down and handling equipment."
As the Project on Government Oversight notes, "this is the third Air Force nuclear unit to fail an inspection this year, and moreover, it now means that all three missile bases with deployed land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) -- Minot, Malstrom, and now Warren -- have failed their security tests."
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My Comment: Heads should roll for this. But my fear is that this is just a symbol of a bigger problem. The bigger problem is that America's nuclear forces need to be modernized not only on the technical and engineering level, but also with the staff that are responsible for America's nuclear forces.
The cost to fix this must be astronomical .... an issue that the incoming Obama administration may have to look at .... and make decisions that are probably not going to be very popular.
