Pentagon ‘three-day blitz’ plan for Iran

[Balschoiw 0]

Why worry about nukes in the making in Iran, if you can have so much fun with domestic nukes ?

B-52 carrying nukes mistakenly overflies U.S.

Quote[/b] ]

WASHINGTON — A B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several states last week, prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander, Pentagon officials said today.

The incident was so serious that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were quickly informed and Gates has asked for daily briefings on the Air Force probe, said Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell. He said, "At no time was the public in danger."

Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the mishandling of the weapons "deeply disturbing" and said the committee would press the military for details. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the Homeland Security committee, said it was "absolutely inexcusable."

"Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible," said Markey, D-Mass., co-chair of the House task force on nonproliferation.

The plane was carrying Advanced Cruise Missiles from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a Defense Department policy not to confirm information on nuclear weapons.

The missiles, which are being decommissioned, were mounted onto pylons on the bomber's wings and it is unclear why the warheads had not been removed beforehand.

The Air Combat Command has ordered a command-wide stand down on Sept. 14 to review procedures, officials said. They said there was minimal risk to crews and the public because of safety features designed into the munitions.

In addition to the munitions squadron commander who was relieved of his duties, crews involved with the mistaken load — including ground crew workers — have been temporarily decertified for handling munitions, one official said.

The investigation is expected to take several weeks.

The incident was first reported by Military Times newspaper group.

"There is no more serious issue than the security and proper handling of nuclear weapons," Skelton said in a statement Wednesday. "The American people, our friends, and our potential adversaries must be confident that the highest standards are in place when it comes to our nuclear arsenal."

Skelton, D-Mo., said his committee will pursue answers on the classified matter "to ensure that the Air Force and the Department of Defense address this particular incident and strengthen controls more generally."

In combination with the intellectual capabilities of Bushy this would make me kind of worried...

Bush shows gift of gaffe at APEC summit

Quote[/b] ]SYDNEY (Reuters) - Even for someone as gaffe-prone as U.S. President George W. Bush, he was in rare form on Friday, confusing APEC with OPEC and transforming Australian troops into Austrians.

Bush's tongue started slipping almost as soon as he started talking at a business forum on the eve of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction," he told Prime Minister John Howard. "Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit."

As the audience of several hundred people erupted in laughter, Bush corrected himself and joked, "He invited me to the OPEC summit next year." Australia has never been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Later in his speech, Bush recounted how Howard had gone to visit "Austrian troops" last year in Iraq. There are, in fact, no Austrian troops there. But Australia has about 1,500 Australian military personnel in and around the country.

Upon finishing his speech, Bush took the wrong way off-stage and, looking slightly perplexed, had to be re-directed by Howard to a centre-stage exit.

But not before a veteran White House correspondent seized the opportunity to ask Bush whether there had been any new message in his speech. Apparently misunderstanding the question, he bristled and asked, "Haven't you been listening to my past speeches?" before turning away.

Bush is no stranger to the occasional faux pas, and often jokes about his habit of mangling the English language.

One of his highest-profile gaffes came in May when, at a welcoming ceremony for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, he nearly placed her in the 18th century.

Then there was the famous incident at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in 2006 when Bush, unaware he was on camera, greeted British Prime Minister Tony Blair with the words "Yo Blair."

Bush's sometimes muddled syntax and mispronunciation of words like nuclear ("nukular") have long been fodder for late-night TV comedians. But aides say his folksy style has helped endear him to Middle America.

Did they have troubles with his remote control again ?

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

Why worry about nukes in the making in Iran, if you can have so much fun with domestic nukes ?

B-52 carrying nukes mistakenly overflies U.S.

This story puzzles me a bit. All SAC bases have not always been located on the coast. And did nuclear armed bombers EVER get scrambled durring the cold war?

So logic tells me that nukes have been flown over the US many times.

So, is this a NEW saftey regulation?

And what about nuclear powered satallietes? Haven't those been flown over our heads on the tips of thousands of pounds of chemical propellant?

Regardless, the "whoops...the nuke warheads were still attached to the missles?" is worrysome. I'm just wondering how much of this is media hype.

I do worry less about American nukes OVER American cities than I do about ones not controlled by the US military IN them. But thats just me...

[Balschoiw 0]

Nuclear missiles with warheads are prohibited to be transported at the pylons in the US afaik. The standard approach would be to separate the warheads and have them transported in special vehicles and with very special security preparations.

The last time hot nukes were transported assembled over the US was in the late 60´s.

What worries me most is the fact that for 13 hours noone missed the nukes and noone knew where the nukes have gone to.

Quote[/b] ]And what about nuclear powered satallietes?

They don´t carry a kiloton payload of nuclear explosives.

The Fuel used for RTG satellites is quite different than the stuff used in nukes.

Pu-238 emits radiation mainly in the form of alpha particles, which have a very low penetrating power. Only lightweight shielding is necessary because alpha particles cannot penetrate a sheet of paper.

Apart from that there are strict security preparations done.

The fuel capsules are designed and tested for worst case scenarios.

[Sc@tterbrain 0]

Nuclear missiles with warheads are prohibited to be transported at the pylons in the US afaik. The standard approach would be to separate the warheads and have them transported in special vehicles and with very special security preparations.

The last time hot nukes were transported assembled over the US was in the late 60´s.

What worries me most is the fact that for 13 hours noone missed the nukes and noone knew where the nukes have gone to.

Quote[/b] ]And what about nuclear powered satallietes?

They don´t carry a kiloton payload of nuclear explosives.

The Fuel used for RTG satellites is quite different than the stuff used in nukes.

Pu-238 emits radiation mainly in the form of alpha particles, which have a very low penetrating power. Only lightweight shielding is necessary because alpha particles cannot penetrate a sheet of paper.

Apart from that there are strict security preparations done.

The fuel capsules are designed and tested for worst case scenarios.

Seems you have some knowledge in the area. So thanks for the info. Answered my question and I learned something.

Good deal.