US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
+3
Ringleader
Rasq'uire'laskar
Ruski
7 posters
Page 1 of 1
US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
The U.S. military is looking into an incident on Saturday in which it lost communications with 50 long-range nuclear-armed missiles based in the northern United States.
The U.S. Air Force's new Global Strike Command lost communications with the missiles for about 45 minutes, and says it immediately dispatched troops to inspect the sites. The check determined there was no damage and no evidence of sabotage.
A spokesman for the command says investigators believe a faulty circuit board at a control center was to blame. The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel John Thomas, says experts found that the same type of part failed at two other Air Force missile control centers in the late 1990s.
The military has launched two investigations into the incident, but a Pentagon spokesman, Colonel David Lapan, says the Air Force does not see the disruption as significant.
"They have emphasized that there was never a loss of command and control and there was no public safety danger in the incident," said Lapan. "Right now their initial indications are that a computer component in one of the systems may have failed. They are still looking into the exact cause and the circumstances."
Colonel Lapan says the airmen who control some 450 missiles spread across North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming maintained "the capability to carry out their mission" even during the outage. The mission is to launch the missiles at overseas targets in response to a presidential order, which would normally only be done in retaliation for a nuclear attack on the United States.
Under an agreement with Russia, both countries' nuclear-armed missiles are targeted at remote locations in the oceans to help avoid an accidental attack on populated areas.
Two years ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the top two Air Force officials, saying they had not taken two earlier nuclear control incidents seriously enough. In the first incident, a B-52 bomber flew across the country armed with six nuclear weapons. Not long after that, fuses for nuclear bombs were accidentally shipped to Taiwan instead of other supplies. U.S. officials only found out about the mistake when officials in Taiwan informed them.
Global Strike Command was created, in part, in response to those incidents, as the Air Force's new leaders moved to tighten control on the large U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Colonel Lapan says Secretary Gates is monitoring the investigations of the latest incident.
The U.S. Air Force's new Global Strike Command lost communications with the missiles for about 45 minutes, and says it immediately dispatched troops to inspect the sites. The check determined there was no damage and no evidence of sabotage.
A spokesman for the command says investigators believe a faulty circuit board at a control center was to blame. The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel John Thomas, says experts found that the same type of part failed at two other Air Force missile control centers in the late 1990s.
The military has launched two investigations into the incident, but a Pentagon spokesman, Colonel David Lapan, says the Air Force does not see the disruption as significant.
"They have emphasized that there was never a loss of command and control and there was no public safety danger in the incident," said Lapan. "Right now their initial indications are that a computer component in one of the systems may have failed. They are still looking into the exact cause and the circumstances."
Colonel Lapan says the airmen who control some 450 missiles spread across North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming maintained "the capability to carry out their mission" even during the outage. The mission is to launch the missiles at overseas targets in response to a presidential order, which would normally only be done in retaliation for a nuclear attack on the United States.
Under an agreement with Russia, both countries' nuclear-armed missiles are targeted at remote locations in the oceans to help avoid an accidental attack on populated areas.
Two years ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the top two Air Force officials, saying they had not taken two earlier nuclear control incidents seriously enough. In the first incident, a B-52 bomber flew across the country armed with six nuclear weapons. Not long after that, fuses for nuclear bombs were accidentally shipped to Taiwan instead of other supplies. U.S. officials only found out about the mistake when officials in Taiwan informed them.
Global Strike Command was created, in part, in response to those incidents, as the Air Force's new leaders moved to tighten control on the large U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Colonel Lapan says Secretary Gates is monitoring the investigations of the latest incident.
Ruski- Minion
- Number of posts : 1218
Age : 29
Location : Canton, Ohio
Registration date : 2009-07-02
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
Huh...
Guess I wasn't subtle enough.
Meh, got the uranium, got the Krytrons, got the plans, bullox if they think they can stop me now!
Guess I wasn't subtle enough.
Meh, got the uranium, got the Krytrons, got the plans, bullox if they think they can stop me now!
Rasq'uire'laskar- Crimson Scribe
- Number of posts : 2929
Age : 33
Location : Follow the cold shivers running down your spine.
Registration date : 2008-06-29
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
faulty circuit board causes oil spill, next, the WORLD!!!
Ringleader- Crimson Muse
- Number of posts : 1993
Age : 32
Registration date : 2009-06-12
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
Heh. They still think my two heists back in the 90's were faulty circuit boards.
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
Thisjustin!
Ground zero for a Project Plowshare test from the 60s was raided by masked men, and a few key test materials are missing. The original project was to research the feasibility of detonating nukes underground, and using the residual heat for reactors.
C'mon, people! Four more, and we can Mythbust Project Orion!
Ground zero for a Project Plowshare test from the 60s was raided by masked men, and a few key test materials are missing. The original project was to research the feasibility of detonating nukes underground, and using the residual heat for reactors.
C'mon, people! Four more, and we can Mythbust Project Orion!
Rasq'uire'laskar- Crimson Scribe
- Number of posts : 2929
Age : 33
Location : Follow the cold shivers running down your spine.
Registration date : 2008-06-29
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
I guess those guards didn't think about what an eleven year old could do with some wire cutters...
Then again, they also wouldn't think he'd be holding a sawed-off shotgun.
Then again, they also wouldn't think he'd be holding a sawed-off shotgun.
Nocbl2- Lord's Personal Minion
- Number of posts : 4814
Age : 25
Location : California
Registration date : 2009-03-18
PiEdude- Crimson Jester
- Number of posts : 4573
Age : 31
Location : In the middle of a hollowed crust.
Registration date : 2008-03-24
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
Nocbl2 wrote:I guess those guards didn't think about what an eleven year old could do with some wire cutters...
Then again, they also wouldn't think he'd be holding a sawed-off shotgun.
Then again, they'd know that he wouldn't use it and just shoot his ass from a distance if he even attempted.
Ruski- Minion
- Number of posts : 1218
Age : 29
Location : Canton, Ohio
Registration date : 2009-07-02
Re: US Investigates Nuclear Missile Incident
Great now FOXHOUND has the nukes for their giant bipedal tank.
Nice going guys.
Nice going guys.
Vigil- Dark Knight of the Flames
- Number of posts : 4810
Age : 34
Location : Unknown.
Registration date : 2009-01-12
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|