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 |  Subject: Pathetic: U.S. nuclear silo forces fail drill simulating a takeover  Fri May 23, 2014 1:00 am | |
| Armed security forces at a nuclear missile base failed a drill last summer that simulated a hostile takeover of a missile launch silo because they were unable to speedily regain control of the captured nuclear weapon, according to an internal Air Force review.
The failure, which the Air Force called a "critical deficiency," was the reason the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana flunked its broader safety and security inspection.
The security team was required to respond to a simulated capture of a Minuteman 3 nuclear missile silo, termed an "Empty Quiver" scenario in which a nuclear weapon is lost, stolen or seized. Each of the Air Force's 450 Minuteman 3 silos contains one missile armed with a nuclear warhead and ready for launch on orders from the president.
The review, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, sought to examine why the security force showed an "inability to effectively respond to a recapture scenario." It cited its failure to take "all lawful actions necessary to immediately regain control of nuclear weapons" but did not specify those actions.
The prize for terrorists or others who might seek to seize control of a missile would be the nuclear warhead attached to it. In 2009, the Air Force cited a "post-9/11 shift in thinking" about such situations, saying that while this nightmare scenario once was considered an impossibility, the United States "no longer has the luxury of assuming what is and what is not possible."
The inspection failure was one of a string of nuclear missile corps setbacks revealed over the past year.
The force has suffered embarrassing leadership and training lapses, breakdowns in discipline, and morale problems. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered two parallel nuclear reviews, still under way, to address his concern that these lapses could erode public trust in the security of the nation's nuclear weapons.
The safety and security of nuclear weapons under military control is considered of paramount importance, and thus defense agencies perform detailed and rigorous inspections at regular intervals.
When the Air Force publicly acknowledged the inspection failure in August, it said "tactical-level errors" had been committed during one phase of the inspection, but it did not say the errors were made by security forces. At the time, the Air Force declined to provide details, saying that doing so could expose potential vulnerabilities. Security forces, safety officers, logistics teams, missile launch crews and others participated in the Malmstrom inspection.
Lt. Col. John Sheets, a spokesman for Air Force Global Strike Command, which is responsible for the nuclear missile corps as well as the nuclear-capable bomber aircraft, said Wednesday,
"We cannot divulge additional details of the scenario or the response tactics due to it being sensitive information that could compromise security."
He added that all "countermeasures," or corrective actions, that were proposed in the review have been accomplished. The only exception is a plan for more extensive practicing of security response tactics at launch silos, a move that requires signed agreements with owners of the private land where the missile silos are.
The August 5-13 inspection, designed to evaluate management and handling of nuclear weapons to ensure they are properly controlled at all times, was repeated two months later with no security weaknesses found.
Security forces are responsible for a range of protective roles at the Air Force's three nuclear missile bases, including along roads used to transport missiles and warheads to and from launch silos; at weapons-storage facilities; and at launch silos and launch-control centers.
The Air Force operates Minuteman 3 bases in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, each with 150 missiles.
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/05/us-nuclear-silo-forces-fail-drill-simulating-takeover |
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