The clamor about Moving Nukes

[GZR_Sactargets]

During my days on a B-52 Crew, Nuclear Armed B-52s always had armed guards. There was also a "two-officer" policy, that meant that two people were required to be present anytime Nukes were aboard an airplane. We also regularly flew over the CONUS with weapons on 'Chrome Dome' airborne Alert. The media is making a big hubbub about nukes being carried over the CONUS-once again shows they don't know much about what happens in military operations.

I guess procedures have changed a lot if the airplane wasn't guarded, the crew didn't know about the nukes, etc. This is really a puzzle to me. I am sure that a lot of careers are over--as they should be.
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Remember Discipline: Within days of the B-52 bomber missile transfer misadventure that already has cost a Minot AFB, N.D., officer his command and derailed-if only temporarily-several munitions technicians from their primary duty, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne penned a letter to all airmen reminding them that America counts on their "discipline and attention to detail." He wrote: "The American public expects the same discipline in a Predator squadron, a space control squadron, or in our long-range bomber community." He exhorted supervisors to remember that "making sure that airmen know and understand what is needed day-to-day is a major part of [USAF] success and requires self-discipline. He applauded the innovations airmen have introduced but emphasized that "driving innovation does not mean abandoning discipline."

Taking Stock of Nukes: The Air Force notified Defense Secretary Robert Gates early on Aug. 31 of the "situation involving the transfer of weapons from Minot AFB, N.D., to Barksdale AFB, La.," on the previous day, so states Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas. Neither Thomas nor DOD Press Secretary Geoff Morrell in a press briefing yesterday would confirm that the weapons transported aboard a B-52 bomber were missiles with nuclear warheads. However, it's been widely reported that they were unarmed nukes. How this happened is now the subject of an investigation led by Maj. Gen. Douglas Raaberg, Air Combat Command's director of air and space operations, but the command already has fired the munitions squadron commander at Minot and "temporarily decertified" some airmen from their normal munitions duties. Thomas referred to this incident as an "isolated mistake" that was "discovered by airmen during internal Air Force checks." He maintained that "at no time was there a threat to public safety." The actual transport of the missiles via the B-52 was part of a regularly scheduled movement of such weapons that normally takes place under rigorous handling and safety requirements. Thomas labeled the "deviation" from well-established munitions procedures "very serious." According to Morrell, the Air Force expects to provide a full report to Gates by the end of this week. Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has vowed to "pursue answers on this classified matter" and to ensure the Air Force and DOD "strengthen controls more generally."

Speaking of Bombers: Elsewhere in the heavy bomber world, the Air Force plans to shift temporarily 20 B-1B bombers and some 550 airmen assigned to Dyess AFB, Tex., to Ellsworth AFB, S.D., while the runway at Dyess undergoes repair. Other Dyess bombers are deployed to Southwest Asia, reports SrA. Carolyn Viss, making this an opportune time for the runway work.


From Air Force Magazine "Daily Report"

[djnocturnal]

i still don't believe this is an accident, there is no way that no one realized what was loaded on the plane.

[GZR_Sactargets]

i still don't believe this is an accident, there is no way that no one realized what was loaded on the plane.

I would agree. During my days as a crewdog they never would have sat on a ramp unguarded. There were lots of other things-Like entries in the dash one that would have alerted the crew. Lots of folks should have been involved-Security cops, Munitions Maintenance, the Crew Chief, Flight Safety, etc, etc.

[KevinJarvis]

So what is the uproar about anyway?
The only article that I've read regarding this gave the impression that nukes are not flown over the continental US.
I'm sure this is not the first nor the last time this will ever happen.

Aren't nukes usually trasnported via ground vehicles for the most part?

KJ

[GZR_Sactargets]

Some are moved by ground, some by air. For the most part those bases with a possible nuclear mission have had them in storage for years. It is somewhat unusual to ferry them by B-52 but it has been done before. Nuke security is very tight even on a base, the weapons to be loaded on an aircraft are escorted by squads of security police when they are moved from the storage areas to the load point. When the US maintained nuclear alert forces, the alert areas were heavily guarded and so were individual airplanes. I don't know current practice but I would think it is probably very similar.

I think the uproar is largely because the media think they are on to something that would shake up people and they are reacting to that. I doubt that the DoD will say a lot about it or reveal any current nuclear control practices.