US N-weapons parts missing, Pentagon says

[maddezmom]

Source: FT.com

US N-weapons parts missing, Pentagon says
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: June 19 2008 05:13 | Last updated: June 19 2008 05:13

The US military cannot locate hundreds of sensitive nuclear missile components, according to several government officials familiar with a Pentagon report on nuclear safeguards.

Robert Gates, US defence secretary, recently fired both the US Air Force chief of staff and air force secretary after an investigation blamed the air force for the inadvertent shipment of nuclear missile nose cones to Taiwan.

According to previously undisclosed details obtained by the FT, the investigation also concluded that the air force could not account for many sensitive components previously included in its nuclear inventory.

One official said the number of missing components was more than 1,000.

The disclosure is the latest embarrassing episode for the air force, which last year had to explain how a bomber mistakenly carried six nuclear missiles across the US. The incidents have raised concerns about US nuclear safeguards as Washington presses other countries to bolster counter-proliferation measures.



Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04dfa24c-3db6-11dd-bbb5-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1&loc=interstitialskip

[OhioChick]

1. Nice....

Over a 1,000 components missing and no one knows jack-shit.

[SpiralHawk]

5. "Nothing to worry about. I am (smirk) in charge." - Commander AWOL Bush

"And I am backed up (smirk) by another genuine republcion, a VP war profiteer (smirk) with an amazing Five Military Deferments. So you know you are in good (smirk) hands with republicon chickenhawk War Profiteers as your COMMANDERS (smirk). You can trust us (smirk) to get to the bottom of this mystery (smirk)."

- Commander AWOL

[agentS]

2. Paging Jack Baeur

*Sarcasm alert*
This is the Pentagon. We got another mess for you to clean up. Bring a metal detector. And a Geiger Counter. And a whoppin' stick.
Chances of torturing the wrong person this season are only 60%.

[Ian David]

3. They're not HERE..

0 items found for: nuclear weapon part
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=nuclear+weapon+part&category0=

Maybe they're under HERE...

[slackmaster]

7. More likely here...

[Blue_Tires]

18. "top men" were clearly in charge of security...

as a kid, i always used to fantasize about where that storage room was, and what other secrets were stashed away there...

[Ilsa]

4. It's like a segment of the TV show Jericho. They had to cancel

it because KBR was afraid the public would figure out that they were trying to create a new fascist US.

And I'm suppose to be worried about some Mexicans, Hondurans, etc crossing the border into Texas?

[Javaman]

6. So first we have nukes being flown on bombers without clearance

then we have missile parts going to Taiwan. Now we have components not accounted for...

A person who was prone to conspiracy theories would think something was going on other than just plain old incompetence.

Just saying...

:tinfoilhat:

[Doctor_J]

8. Hmm. Hopefully they're not part of Blackwater's crowd control arsenal

for when the people here get fed up.

[struggle4progress]

9. The Rosenbergs were executed for less

[Crowman1979]

10. Are the Jesus Freaks in the Air Force trying to start armageddon sooner?

Yet another reason to be a nuclear free nation. Not only to prevent war, but to prevent incompetent and insane people in our own government from using them or losing them on purpose!

[paparush]

11. Cheney's in the basment with a toolbox and a room full of parts....

"Damn them! Damn them all to hell! Stop my B-52 nuclear sneak attack? I'll show those coward bastards..mwahahahahahaha.."

Evil Dick Inviting Armageddon.

[Supersedeas]

12. the AQ Khan network had many many tentacles

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. Taser the person responsible, punch him in the face, and put him in the cell

kept for people with a broken rear-light on their limo.

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. Well, I've made enquiries, and that's "off the table".

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. One piece at a time?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece_at_a_Time

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Search records for an officer named "Bilko" ... nt

[Just-plain-Kathy]

16. I bet Cheney sold the pats to Iran. ..n/t