US B-52 in nuclear cargo blunder

[jagalman]

The missiles were mounted on the wings of a B-52 bomber

The US Air Force has launched an investigation after a B-52 bomber flew across the US last week mistakenly loaded with nuclear-armed missiles.
It follows reports in the Army Times that five missiles were unaccounted for during the three-hour flight from North Dakota to Louisiana.

The air force said the cruise missiles were safe at all times.

Army Times said the missiles were to be decommissioned but were mistakenly mounted on the bomber's wings.

The W80-1 warhead has a yield of five to 150 kilotons, the paper said.

'Decertified'

The flight took place on 30 August, from the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to the Barksdale Air Force Base, near Bossier City, in Louisiana.

Air force spokesman Lt Col Ed Thomas said although this was an "isolated incident", Air Combat Command had directed a "command-wide stand down to review process at all of our bases".

Col Thomas said a general had been appointed to investigate the incident and would report by 14 September.



"At no time was there a threat to public safety. It is important to note that munitions were safe, secure and under military control at all times," Col Thomas said.

"The air force takes its mission to safeguard weapons seriously. No effort will be spared to ensure that the matter is thoroughly and completely investigated."

Army Times quoted the colonel as saying the loading crew involved had been temporarily "decertified" pending retraining and the investigation.

A military official told AFP news agency that President George W Bush had been informed of the mix-up.

"There are procedures in place and they kicked in and worked," the official said.

The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says experts have made it clear that if the plane had crashed there would not have been a nuclear explosion but there could have been a threat from plutonium leakage.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6980204.stm

Funny! with such mistake they can kill millions of their own people!

[synergy777]

why were they moving nuke?

[jagalman]

why were they moving nuke?


That's a good question bro.! Why???

They tell you (the missiles were to be decommissioned but were mistakenly mounted on the bomber's wings.)

Yeah right, mitakenly!!!

[synergy777]

iran? why they equip the b2 with new bunker busting bombs, why they move them to guam, why?

[jagalman]

Why is a big word! You have to ask our friend Dick Cheney and his wise dude (George w Bush)!!! or nobody know's why! :D

[synergy777]

they were looking for the white house, but got lost, lol

[december]

I don't understand one thing here - why was it even reported?...

[amerigirl]

I had the same question "Why was it reported?" My guess is that alot of ppl seen it or something along those lines.

"They tell you (the missiles were to be decommissioned but were mistakenly mounted on the bomber's wings.)"

Umm, YEAH, if we are so dumbed down to believe that, it's pretty scary. How can you "mistake" decommissioning w/ mounting??????

[gorana]

Now there are 5 missing nuclear bombs.

I bet we will soon hear about terrorists posessing nuclear bombs and treatening US with them :)

G.

[gonzo power]

Wow. That is incredibly alarming. With this news and the recent news of the massive put options, it's no wonder we're paranoid! All pieces of a single puzzle, guys.....

[synergy777]

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=7131

Those five nukes on that B-52 may have something to do with Iran
Larry Johnson – Crimes & Corruptions of the N.W.O. News Sept 5, 2007

Why the hubbub over a B-52 taking off from a B-52 base in Minot, North Dakota and subsequently landing at a B-52 base in Barksdale, Louisiana? That’s like getting excited if you see a postal worker in uniform walking out of a post office. And how does someone watching a B-52 land identify the cruise missiles as nukes? It just does not make sense.

So I called a old friend and retired B-52 pilot and asked him. What he told me offers one compelling case of circumstantial evidence. My buddy, let’s call him Jack D. Ripper, reminded me that the only times you put weapons on a plane is when they are on alert or if you are tasked to move the weapons to a specific site.

Then he told me something I had not heard before.

Barksdale Air Force Base is being used as a jumping off point for Middle East operations. Gee, why would we want cruise missile nukes at Barksdale Air Force Base. Can’t imagine we would need to use them in Iraq. Why would we want to preposition nuclear weapons at a base conducting Middle East operations?

His final point was to observe that someone on the inside obviously leaked the info that the planes were carrying nukes. A B-52 landing at Barksdale is a non-event. A B-52 landing with nukes. That is something else.

Now maybe there is an innocent explanation for this? I can’t think of one. What is certain is that the pilots of this plane did not just make a last minute decision to strap on some nukes and take them for a joy ride. We need some tough questions and clear answers.

What the hell is going on? Did someone at Barksdale try to indirectly warn the American people that the Bush Administration is staging nukes for Iran? I don’t know, but it is a question worth asking.


Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management.

http://mparent7777-2.blogspot.com/2007/09/those-five-nukes-on-that-b-52-may-have.html

[graflok]

Interesting.

[peachped]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/05/loose.nukes/index.html


Military officials told CNN that the incident was a major breach of security rules surrounding nuclear weapons. One official said that he could not recall anything similar happening.

The Air Force announced that all flights of fighters and bombers in the United States will be halted on September 14 to allow for a review of procedures.

:eek::eek:

[synergy777]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2007/09/six_of_our_nukes_are_missing_d.html?nav=rss_blog

Six of Our Nukes Went Missing -- But Don't Worry

An Air Force B-52 bomber flew over the heartland last week with six nuclear-armed cruise missiles attached to its wings. The pilots and crew evidently had no clue what they were carrying. Nor did the munitions crew that accidentally loaded the missiles. No one noticed that six nuclear warheads were missing for more than 12 hours. And of course the American public didn't know what was happening until now.

All of which raises the question: How worried should we be? More worried than the Pentagon says we should be, certainly -- but not as worried as some of its critics want us to be.

This incident has followed the usual pattern: a small leak in the Military Times newspapers, followed by mainstream media attention, followed by lame statements from the military, followed by angry remarks from members of Congress and apocalyptic statements by anti-nuclear groups. And finally it becomes tabloid fodder: "A BUNCH OF 'NUKE'LEHEADS," screams the headline in the New York Post.

Air Force chief of staff Gen. Michael T. ("Buzz") Moseley has been providing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates personal briefings about the incident daily. (I'm sure that this is not the kind of face time Moseley wants with the boss.) President Bush has been receiving daily briefings as well.

The Air Force now assures that the stealthy Advanced Cruise Missiles with their W80 Mod 1 warheads were never armed in flight and posed no threat to the public. The missiles themselves are slated to be retired from the U.S. nuclear weapons inventory, but it is unclear whether the movement from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana was actually a consolidation of assets. Officially, the military neither confirms nor denies the presence of nuclear weapons at any location, and the Pentagon uses tortured language to avoid using the word "nuclear."

Despite the huffing and puffing of the professional concerned, the danger to the good people of the United States from the B-52 crashing or a missile spontaneously exploding was probably infinitesimal. Still, the reality is that six nuclear warheads were removed from their bunkers in North Dakota, loaded onto a bomber, flown across the United States for three and a half hours, and then left on a parking apron for another 10 hours -- and no one noticed.

"The weapons were always in our custody," an Air Force spokesman assures. Of course they were in Air Force custody, at least as far as the paperwork goes. That doesn't mean a group of terrorists, aided by people on the base, couldn't have stolen the weapons from the North Dakota bunker.

There is no explanation for this incident other than gross incompetence on the part of the munitions and flight crews. This has nothing at all to do with the Bush administration's commitment to arms control, the military's attention being focused elsewhere or the fact that we have too many nuclear weapons in too many places.

Still, I would wager that if Congress wants to push the issue, we are going to find out that there have been hundreds of similar incidents over the years. (Although I wonder if records are even kept on them, at least in one place.) The Pentagon's "neither confirm nor deny" policy shields those records, and its out-of-sight-out-of-mind attitude about nukes falsely calms the public.

An update on The The Generals and the Candidates post from last week: Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey writes: "I have not endorsed any Presidential Candidate nor will I. I am not an Advisor to the McCain Campaign."


By William M. Arkin | September 6, 2007; 7:18 AM ET | Category: Nuclear Weapons


I don't buy it. This looks more like show and tell time. I worked with conventional Munitions in the Air Force, and we knew where things were going. Special Weapons were another job description, but I do not believe they would lose track of those warheads. Why did they have cruise missiles in the first place, unless they were on a training mission. I would assume pilots still do preflight checks on their aircraft, and one would imagine they would look at the wings. They must have been trying to send a message.

Posted by: P. J. Casey | September 6, 2007 11:37 AM

Dimitry: seriously? That's your response? If we get rid of our nukes, the commies will come and kill us all? Dear Lord. I'd hoped that the nuclear discussion had moved past Cold War hysteria.

This is less about possessing nuclear weapons, and more about handling them responsibly. If we think this gaffe is bad (and it is-- yet another demonstration of our frighteningly poor security around nuclear weapons), take a look at Russia, or former Soviet states, where nuclear material is even less secure. That's where the terrorists will be shopping for nukes or radioactive material. Of course, they might add North Dakota to the list, now.

Posted by: | September 6, 2007 11:26 AM

Wow, let's get hysterical and get rid of nuclear weapons and disarm the U.S. so that Russia can take over!

Posted by: Dimitry | September 6, 2007 11:14 AM

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[peachped]

http://politics.netscape.com/story/2006/09/06/declaration-of-national-emergency-by-reason-of-certain-terrorist-attacks/




Politics – George W. Bush intends to extend the Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks for another year to September 14, 2007. The National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601-1651) is a United States federal law passed in 1976 to stop open-ended states of national emergency and formalize Congressional checks and balances on..

:eek:

[synergy777]

the exercise, the powers, all 14th septemeber? i think this is too obvious, he will get nailed if they do anything on this date. i still think attack by night, declaration on the morning after, but who knows what cheney and him are plotting.

[amerigirl]

This is weird :confused:

[jagalman]

Well i hope that everyone read Bin Laden Message! here you go! you got a missing missile and Bin Laden planing to kill as much americans as he can!

got the msg???

[mick]

could it have been made public information purely to spread fear? to get nuclear weapons in our or american military enemies thinking? i think you can discard the notion that it was a mistake. a mistake is when i cut myself shaving. not when an aeroplane is loaded up with nuclear missiles! how often do america fall back on the excuse of "mistakes" or "incompetence"? absolute rubbish.

[premasai]

There was no mistakenly mounted nuclear warheads. They are getting ready for Iran. It was controlled or uncontrolled leak that was supposed to let the world know what is happening.

[howie]

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1444572007

Convoys of warheads for Trident missiles travel by road between the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire and the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport on Loch Long, north-west of Glasgow. The missiles themselves are maintained at Coulport.

Travel by road in heavily armoured trucks is judged to be the safer than travel by rail, air or sea. The Ministry of Defence insists that the highest standards of safety are followed on the convoys.

[graflok]

An airman who was part of the security unit for this operation is reported to
have just died while on leave.

source (http://cryptogon.com/?p=1299)

[phildee3]

Some reports say five nukes, some say six.
This article suggests that six left ND and five arrived in Louisiana:
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=109392

[notaslave]

http://www.legitgov.org/minot_afb_nukes_oddities.html

though it says 6 are now dead its actually 5.

[azna744]

http://www.legitgov.org/minot_afb_nukes_oddities.html (http://http://www.legitgov.org/minot_afb_nukes_oddities.html)





Minot AFB Clandestine Nukes 'Oddities' --By Lori Price, www.legitgov.org

The following section was compiled by 'The Pundit.'
Since the Minot story broke a week ago about the missing nukeclandestine operation from Minot, we have the following (for those who are paying attention):

1. All six people listed below are from Minot Airforce base
2. All were directly involved as loaders or as pilots
3. All are now dead
4. All within the last 7 days in 'accidents' [Not all of them --LRP]

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=10465
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070915/BREAKINGNEWS/70915012
http://www.kxmc.com/News/161562.asp
http://www.kxmc.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=140988
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/07/20/news/state/136489.txt
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/9679367.html

Silly me, seeing more than there is to this story. I guess this is just another coincidence.

But no doubt now that there will be more coincidences in the near future because as I have stated before, you need about fourteen signatures to get an armed nuke onto a B-52, and they may have told their wives and friends.

"The Pundit"


Minot Base Officials Say Airman Dies While On Leave 12 Sep 2007 The Minot Air Force Base said an airman has died while on leave in Virginia. Airman First Class Todd Blue, who was 20 years old, died Monday while visiting with family members. The statement did not say how he died. The base said Blue was a response force member assigned to the 5th Security Forces Squadron. [The primary mission of the 5th Security Forces Squadron is to 'provide 24-hour law enforcement and security services for the 5th Bomb Wing and all tenant units assigned to Minot AFB.' "Guardians of the Upper Realm" --The host wing on Minot Air Force Base, the 5th Bomb Wing operates the B-52H Stratofortress aircraft to provide global strike and combat-support capabilities to geographic commanders. B-52 Stratofortress - Mission --Air Combat Command's B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions... It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability.]

[peachped]

:eek:

Todd Blue, who was 20 years old, died Monday -- cause of death not stated........



a married couple. -- died in a crash................



riding a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with the husband driving and the wife the passenger, Chadwick said.

"They were traveling behind a northbound Pontiac Aztec driven by Erica Jerry, 35, of Shreveport," Chadwick's release said. "Jerry initiated a left turn into a business parking lot at the same time the man driving the motorcycle attempted to pass her van on the left in a no passing zone. They collided."

The woman passenger on the motorcycle died at the scene, while the husband was taken to LSU Hospital in Shreveport, where he died, the release said.

One airman dead another critical -- after a crash................................

Base officials say 20-year-old Adam Barrs was a passenger in a vehicle that failed to negotiate a curve, hit an approach, hit a tree and started on fire late Tuesday night.

Barrs was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver is identified as 20-year-old Airman Stephen Garrett.

He was taken to Minot's Trinity Hospital in critical condition.

Another airman -- another crash...............................


MINOT (AP) - A Minot Air Force Base bomber pilot was killed in a motorcycle crash in Tennessee, the base says.

1st Lt. Weston Kissel, 28, was a B-52 pilot assigned to the 23rd Bomb Wing at the Minot base, said Lt. Col. Gerald Hounchell, the 23rd Bomb Squadron commander. Kissel died Tuesday in the crash, while on leave, the base said.

Another airman death -- details not disclosed................................

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The body of a missing Air Force captain from Florida has been found near Badger Peak in northeast Skamania County, Wash., Portland police said Sunday.

Acting on a tip from Portland police, Skamania County authorities found Capt. John Frueh's rental car about noon on Saturday. They quickly began a search and rescue mission and, with the help of search dogs, found Frueh's body near the vehicle about 5 p.m., the Skamania County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities said foul play is not suspected.


Coincidence?

[amerigirl]

That is some scary shiat! Hmm, I wonder if these stories will be listed in the mainstream media, I highly doubt it.

[phildee3]

Some reports say five nukes, some say six.
This article suggests that six left ND and five arrived in Louisiana:
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=109392

Six nukes missing; - story changed to five (one still missing).
Six airmen dead; - story changed to five (one still alive).

I there a connection here?
Illuminati numerology?

[pedsi]

How about one airman still missing and one nuke still alive!!

[phildee3]

"Lost" B-52 nuke cruise missiles were on way to Middle East for attack on Iran
http://worldcontent.twoday.net/stories/4289860/