Def Sec Gates decides to count the nukes
Gates orders inventory of US nukes
Gates Orders Full Inventory of US Nuclear Weapons, Related Materials After Mistaken Delivery
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a full inventory of all nuclear weapons and related materials after the mistaken delivery of ballistic missile fuses to Taiwan, the Pentagon said Thursday.
Gates told officials with the Air Force, Navy and Defense Logistics Agency to assess inventory control procedures for the materials and to submit a report within 60 days.
Earlier this week, Gates directed Navy Adm. Kirkland H. Donald to take charge of a full investigation of the delivery mistake in which four cone-shaped electrical fuses used in intercontinental ballistic missile warheads were shipped to the Taiwanese instead of the helicopter batteries they had ordered.
It was the second nuclear-related mistake involving the military that has been revealed in recent months. In August an Air Force B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. At the time, the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms aboard.</em>
Ok, two ways to take this, neither pretty. Either there is something going on behind the scenes which we’ll never know, and this is simply the public face of it, or our military are a bunch of yutzes who can’t follow procedure for the safe administration of dangerous hardware.
Great options, eh?
