Gizmodo
A report released this month by the Pentagon has revealed the truth behind the B-52 bomber—loaded with six live nuclear warheads—flying over the US, a mistake that could have had catastrophic consequences. Their explanation: a 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of printed paper used to differentiate between nuclear and conventional missiles. Really, it can't get any more absurd than this:
On August 31, 2007 an Air Force crew accidentally loaded six live nuclear warheads into a B-52 Stratofortress—stationed in the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota—believing they were conventional cruise missiles. The weapons were missing, without anyone noticing it, for 36 hours until the B-52 landed in Louisiana.
According to the Pentagon, this happened because the nuclear weapons were stored right next to conventional ones, with just an "8.5 x 11-inch sheet of printed paper to differentiate between the two types." I guess the paper was ignored by the ground crew. I also guess that the paper said something like "Maybe this is bad. Really. No touchy! Noooo touchy!" instead of "NUCLEAR WARHEAD INSIDE. DON'T TOUCH UNLESS INSTRUCTED BY THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF, YOU MORON" because, otherwise, I just can't understand their mistake.
The report goes on saying that "part" of the problem is that nobody really has absolute control of the nuclear weapons in the US arsenal after the demise of Strategic Air Command. After the fall of the Soviet Union, SAC was split in 1992 into three different commands: the Air Force Space Command (which grabbed ICBM control,) the Air Combat Command (in charge of the bombers themselves) and the Air Mobility Command, which "provides airlift, special missions, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation for U.S. troops." Furthermore, the Air Force nuclear capability is also under the control of the USSTRATCOM, along with the Navy's submarine nuclear ballistic missiles.
The report, however, then says that this "near disaster" was a "human error" because there are tight rules in place that weren't followed. Col. West Anderson, second in charge of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, added that they "handle weapons safely and ensure the highest possible standards of individual reliability and professional competence." I guess that means that the crew at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota are a bunch of incompetent monkeys, but his guys are A-OK. However, it all seems that they are just glad that nothing bad happened, so they can get away saving their asses.
Despite this "human error" excuse, their explanation leaves me with the impression that nobody has a real, definitive grasp of where every nuke is except probably Matthew Broderick and the WOPR. Their conclusion doesn't help either: the Air Force treats nukes the same as disarmed missiles when verifying armament, and there's "no written directive that specifically described the required identifying means" to make the distinction before loading the weapons into the bombers.
In other words: there are rules which are not followed, but they need more rules in writing. Perhaps they just need to stop playing Warhawk in their PlayStation 3 and start printing clearer warning signs. [Military.com, Wikipedia]
Comments
this is a mistake we know about, what about the ones we dont? like that a-bomb from the 50's buried underneath your suburbia house?
and oh yeah: IM FIRST!!!
Ok.. someone has been living in a cave.. this has been in the news since the original incident.
the August 31, 2007 incident happened because the nuclear weapons were stored right next to conventional ones, with just a "8.5 x 11-inch sheet of printed paper to differentiate between the two types."
Nice to know that all that stands between us and nuclear annihilation is a single sheet of paper.
Seriously though. How on earth can they justify having nuclear and conventional munitions look identical and the only way to tell them apart be a piece of paper? Imagine if this had happened at Whitman Air Force Base in MO back when the B-2 bombers stationed there were dropping bombs on Iraq. Instead of a conventional 2000 pound bomb destroying a bridge across the Euphrates river in Baghdad they would have destroyed the entire city.
what is the destructive power of these nukes? it says 10 times the japan one, is that PER nuke ?
if so, this could have destroyed like the entire usa right?
I can suggest a few printers they should use in the future ;)
They should print a big radioactive symbol out and slap it to the side of all the nuclear devices so they can just look at each and be like "oh, this one will kill us all... I'll just leave it here."
Come to think of it... maybe slapping stuff on a nuke is a bad idea, maybe just gently affix it to the side.
I think the author is misunderstanding the issues here.
The issue is not so much that there was any danger of them accidentally nuking part of the US - nukes just don't work like that, even if you crash catastrophically. At worst, you might spread a bit of nuclear material around, but probably not even that much.
The real issues are that:
1. Some nukes went missing for a while, and we should know where all of them are at all times.
2. By treaty, we are prohibited from "just moving them".
But I also agree with the other posters - where have you been for the past six months, Jesus?
Look at the bright side. We just found this out now, instead of in 2007 when they could have accidentally dropped one of those friggin' things. So that's a plus, right?
@skittlzncombos: Nope, this was on the news way back last fall, maybe even last august. I have no clue why this is being written about now, unless there is a new summary of the events or something.
Since the nukes must actually be armed and set to explode, with a code required that must come from some other place than the pilot of the bomber, there was no MAJOR disaster waiting to happen.
@IphtashuFitz: Since the nuke part of the bomb wouldn't have been armed, if they didn't know they were launching a nuke, they would not have accidentally blown up Baghdad. They wouldn't even have blown up the bridge. What they would have done is possibly given someone, willing to salvage it, a free nuclear warhead. If they realized their mistake too late.
@TedB.: Well we're still not dead, so it's ok in my book. I mean it's the American Government we're talking about. I love this country despite its ridiculousness at times but we all know that the government here is nothing to brag about it.
God... this is such old news!
Despite what some of you probably think, they could not detonate if they were dropped or if the plane crashed.
@snathanb: Not the Pentagon report with the causes , which has been released earlier this month.
Yeah was going to say there was no way in hell these nukes could have ever gone off. But thats not the issue its the fact they where MISSING.
And we rag on the Russians when they cant keep track of their nukes... we seem to be just as fucking bad, and in our case (unlike the Russians who nukes have a 1/4th chance of actually detonating even if right procedures are followed) ours would probably detonate if the right procedures where figured out.
I agree with Erwos. There isn't nearly as much a threat from a US bomber flying over this country with a nuke in its belly as there is from any number of possible places it could've been during the period of time that they went missing.
@Arelar: I wondered what that hollow sound in my basement floor was...
You guys are right in that a nuke being dropped probably would not detonate. Like a lot of airborne munitions, they have to be armed first.
No, it would not have destroyed the entire country. Not even close.
And nuclear bombs beneath your house from the Cold War? Are you kidding me? What good would that even do? What sort of strategy is that to combat the Russian communists? "We'll defeat them by placing nukes beneath our population's cities." That makes sense?
@LankySean: "They should print a big radioactive symbol out and slap it to the side of all the nuclear devices"
That would just tell the ninjas which one's to steal.
@Arelar: There actually was a bomb (not nuclear) underneath my school from the WWII when I was in grade-school.
We'll have to keep a list of which missiles are nuclear and which are conventional. We'll need to keep that list in a safe place. If there's time, we can make a copy of the list. When somebody needs to borrow a missile, they can check the list to make sure they aren't grabbing the wrong one. Also, let's put someone in charge of checking the list periodically to make sure we haven't lost any missiles.
@Geisrud:
All I can think of after your comment is The Devil's Backbone. Any ghosts in your school?
[www.imdb.com]
Fun fact: In 1961 two Mark 39 hydrogen bombs were dropped on Faro, North carolina after the B 52 carrying them suffered a fire caused by a fuel leak and exploded in mid air. Five crewmen parachuted to safety.
The air force purchased the land and checks it regularly for contamination. None has been found yet.
The wacky part is that it actually DOES come down to being about our precious bodily fluids...
+ Watch video
Clearly all nukes should be emblazoned with big yellow happy faces all around the casing so as to be clearly be differentiated from conventional bombs.
I mean come on, the planes of every commercial airline can be differentiated at 100's of feet...how hard can this be?
@Erwos and @Kaiser-Machead: There wasn't much danger from this particular mission, but what if this incident had been on a live training run? They hit a target out in the middle of nowhere and instead of destroying it, they destroy the whole valley. Didn't happen this time, but apparently it's fairly easy to confuse nukes for conventionals. That's a problem. Furthermore, you don't load bombs on a bomber unless you might need to drop them. Very slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.
What do they call it when everything is going to shit around you and you decide to just settle in and have a good time until Major Kong gets here?
I think I'm heading there. Maybe not now...but soon.
@IphtashuFitz:
One sheet of paper protecting the world? I can see it now! Headlines that read "Super-Sheet-of-Paper Saves the world again!" It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's just a piece of paper! NO IT'S SUPER-SHEET-OF-PAPER!! DUH DUH DA DUH!!! he can have a nifty suit (printing?) and everything! a super secret cave with automatic dressing(printer?) His nemesis? Shredder!! like TMNT but different.
and that's my retarded rant for today
@strider_mt2k: that's what Strider has a star.
@detach: retarded? I love it. In fact, I'm changing the headline now. Thanks.
@Jesus Diaz (if that is in fact your name): Not disputing Strider having a star. Heaven knows he deserves it. But to say he got it for mediocre Dr. Strangelove references is denigratory both to Strider and his star. Lets not lower the star bar. We must not have a Gizmodo Star Commenter gap, gentlemen!
@ps61318: and that's why you are never going to get the star.
Sharpies can write even on Nukes. They come in pretty colors now, too. Once the blast happens, I guess they are not a "permanent" marker anymore, though.
@Jesus Diaz: I'm sorry, but I can't see the video clips (filkin' content filters at work). If that is to which you were referring, and it seems you were, then I apologize. As I say, I can't see them.
I never asked for a star. I never even thought to ask how to GET a star. I picture some arcane ritual, the Giz editors enrobed in microfiber, sitting around an OLED simulation of a fire, sacrificing chickens and scattering their (the chickens') entrails about, waiting for the right pattern of innards and gizzards to lead them to the commenter who is most deserving.
Or it could be a quality thing.
Either way - props to the bearers of the stars, and as for the rest of us, I know not what course others may take, but I don't got to have no stinkin' star.
@Falconfire: There's a pretty big difference between accidentally loading our nukes on an Air Force bomber, which is still pretty secure, and "guarding" them with a padlock. The Russians are still *way* worse at this than we are. The worst we'd end up doing is have them guarded at the wrong base. They could actually *lose* one.
I always thought the nukes were like in a vault to the side of the other bombs -- kind of like the VX Rockets in The Rock. It's kind of lame that they're just sitting out with the other bombs.
Maybe the government was trying one of those "hide-em-in-plain-sight" tactics, and it just worked too well.
@ps61318: Star envy? I am suddenly reminded of Dr Seuss and the "Star Belly Sneetches". [en.wikipedia.org]
**PERK** I also see a marketing opportunity...
YOU TOO can be see with a star! Rent Nutbastard by the hour (with a small fee to me, his pimp, er um, agent).
@yehoni: I don't know man. It sounds like all you have to do to steal ours is fly a B-52 into the base and say, "Hey, load me up some of these bombs," while standing in front of the paper sign.
Let's reverse everything so everyone BUT star-holders has a star.
Then we can all kvetch about NOT having a star.
We'll keep switching it every six months until everyone sees the star system for what it is: mere Granfaloonery
@ps61318: Dude.
Welcome.
Hang out. Read. Post. Enjoy.
Everybody is a star.
+ Watch video
I blame it on my new coffee maker.
I figured it was John Travolta who flew away with them again. That crafty bastard, he is always stealing nukes.
and we complain about russias nuclear accountability? Give me a f*cking break this is rediculous... yes they need the code to arm so it was relatively harmless...
but if they had dropped this over iraq and thought it was just a DUD, and then some terrorists got a hold of it and walla they have weapons grade plutonium.
@jetexas: LMAO i thought that too... HAHAH in plain site ya go figure :)
you'd think they'd be in bright red flashing boxes or something, or in something that would differentiate them besides PAPER!
ok come on guys like YOU'VE never misplaced a small nuke around the house. I for one get out the front door a lot and realize "oh damn I forgot my keys and where the hell did I put that nuke?" I mean it happens.
@jetaxas: of you've got the money to just fly a B-52 into the base then you probably already have the money to buy a nuke.
@jkoppee: All I'm saying is that I'm pretty sure the A-Team could do it.
@Erwos: What you say is true -- we probably weren't all that close to an actual explosion. However, the fact that these weapons have the power to level cities, poison the earth, and perhaps trigger a wider thermonuclear war that could smoke the entire planet, this degree of incompetence is COMPLETELY INEXCUSABLE. We should be impeaching the president and dishonorably discharging all involved. Seriously. We're talking about the fate of our planet here, and these idiots are treating the nukes like any old missile. They should be locked in a special place, painted glow in the dark yellow, and labeled with RFID tags or something. Better yet, they should be destroyed, because we obviously can't handle responsibility like that.
@jetexas: well yeah that's just a given but they're getting a little old at this point so we should be safe. Although since B.A. wouldn't ever fly he'd probably still be knocked out and wouldn't be of any help making it a little bit trickier
This is the oldest news ever, but I'm calling bs.
Though I've had no first hand experience handling nuclear ordnance, I have to say there has to be SOME kind of visual differentiation between the multitude of different payloads. B-52's can carry (nuclear/nuclear capable) B-61, B-83 bombs; ALCM, ACM cruise missiles - of which all can deliver a vast variety of party favors. Just the B-83 alone has quite a few fuzing options that include free-fall air, ground burst, retarded air burst, retarded ground burst or delayed ground burst or "laydown." Oh, they're marked. Somebody was probably just on their cellphone while loading bombs.
Anyway, these weapons are designed and tested to be USABLE (read: not blow up, and still work even) after hard target penetration (read: in a hardened bunker that has been successfully bombed to rubble). There was no real danger.
@redman042: Would leveling a few cities and triggering a wider thermonuclear war really be such a bad thing?
Sometimes you've got to wipe the slate clean and start over.