US nuclear missile unit fails safety check
Failure follows low grade for another nuclear missile unit that prompted deputy commander to complain that 'rot' had set in
In another embarrassing stumble by the US nuclear missile force, an air force unit in charge of a third of all the nuclear weapons on American soil has failed a key safety and security inspection, the general in charge of the arsenal has revealed.
The incident raises more questions about the air force's management of arguably the military's most sensitive mission.
The head of US nuclear air forces, Lieutenant General James Kowalski, revealed on Tuesday that the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom air force base, in the state of Montana, had failed what the military calls a "surety" inspection - a formal check on the unit's adherence to rules ensuring the safety, security and control of its nuclear weapons.
The 341st is one of three units that operate the air force's 450 Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.
Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said a team of "relatively low-ranking" airmen failed one exercise as part of a broader inspection, which began last week and ended on Tuesday. He said that for security reasons he could not be specific about the team or the exercise, although he said the team did not include missile launch crew members.
"This unit fumbled on this exercise," Kowalski said by telephone from his headquarters at Barksdale air force base, in the state of Louisiana, adding that this did not call into question the safety or control of nuclear weapons at Malmstrom.
"The team did not demonstrate the right procedures," he said, and as a result was rated a failure.