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Showing posts with label u.s. nuclear forces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label u.s. nuclear forces. Show all posts

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Will The U.S. Cut It's ICBM Forces?

Photo: Test launch of LGM-118 Peacekeeper Intercontinental ballistic missile by United States Air Force. Wikipedia

Senators Tell Hagel Not To Study ICBM Cuts -- The Hill

A group of senators are telling the Pentagon to back off any plans to conduct an environmental impact study that would examine eliminating intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos.

The 10 senators, mostly from Western states and members of the bipartisan ICBM Coalition, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Thursday calling it “premature” to study the ICBM reductions until the administration presents a plan to implement them.

The ICBM cuts would be part of the U.S.-Russia New START treaty on nuclear arms reductions. The U.S. currently has 450 ICBMs in states deployed across the West.

“ICBM silos are as much of an enduring strategic asset as are ICBMs themselves,” the senators wrote to Hagel.

Read more ....

My Comment: Congress is making it's point of view on the subject of nuclear force reductions very clear .... do not even think about it. The Pentagon has also made it very clear that they will protect their nuclear missions from sequestration. But some are still maing thec ase that cuts are not only necessary .... but inevitable.

U.S. Strategic Command’s Number 2 Nuclear Weapons Commander Suspended Over Gambling

Photo: This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina in a Nov. 11, 2011, photo. US Navy

No. 2 US Nuke Commander Suspended Amid Gambling Probe -- NBC

A U.S. Navy vice admiral has been suspended from his position as the second in command of U.S. Strategic Command and is under investigation for issues related to gambling, authorities said Saturday.

A senior defense official confirmed that Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, the deputy commander of Strategic Command, was suspended from his duties on Sept. 3, pending the outcome of a Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation. STRATCOM is the command that oversees all U.S. nuclear war-fighting forces.

While sailors are allowed to gamble, Giardina's activities go beyond just gambling, the official said, but declined to be more specific because of the ongoing investigation.

Read more ....

More news On US Nuke Commander Suspended Amid Gambling Probe

The Military's Deputy Nuke Commander Was Suspended for Gambling -- The Atlantic
US nuclear commander suspended over gambling probe -- BBC
U.S. admiral suspended amid probe of Iowa casino scam -- UPI
Second-in-command of the country's nuclear arsenal is suspended as he is investigated for GAMBLING -- Daily Mail/AP
No. 2 US nuke commander suspended amid probe -- FOX News
Vice Admiral Is Suspended in Gambling Investigation -- New York Times
This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina in a Nov. 11, 2011, photo. -- RT
No. 2 US nuke commander suspended amid criminal probe -- New York Post
Strategic Command’s Number 2 Officer Suspended for Probe -- ABC news
Navy vice admiral removed from management of American nuclear arsenal over gambling problem, officials say -- New York Daily News

My Comment: These men have to be the most stable in the US military .... a gambling addiction (if these allegations are true) is not a good sign.

Monday, August 26, 2013

The Continuing Saga Of U.S. Nuclear Forces Failing Safety And Security Inspection

US Nuclear Weapons Poised For Catastrophe -- James Carroll, Boston Globe

It was bad enough when, last April, 17 US Air Force missile officers were relieved for dereliction of duty at the Minuteman III base at Minot, N.D. A commander there decried “rot” in the force that controls the most sensitive tripwire in the nuclear arsenal. The Minot missile wing is made up of squadrons named “Vulgar Vultures,” “Gravehaulers,” and “Wolf Pack.”

The good news last spring, according to an Air Force spokesperson at the time, was that the sister missile wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Wyoming was rated “excellent.” Its squadrons have slightly less puerile names: “First Aces,” “Red Dawgs,” and “Farsiders.” But the second shoe fell this month when the Malmstrom officers, too, failed a safety and security inspection. “This unit fumbled,” said Lieutenanat General James M. Kowalski, chief of the Global Strike Command. “The team did not demonstrate the right procedures.” The general declined to elaborate, lest he reveal “potential vulnerability” in America’s intercontinental ballistic missile force.

Read more ....

My Comment: What does not help is reading stories like this one .... Commander of US nuclear weapons unit at Malmstrom AFB removed -- ABC News

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

In Latest Setback Air Force Nuclear Missile Unit Fails Key Safety And Security Test

Air Force Nuclear Missile Unit Fails Key Security Test, In Latest Setback -- FOX News

An Air Force unit responsible for dozens of nuclear missiles failed a recent safety and security inspection -- a setback that comes just months after the Air Force temporarily sidelined 17 officers in connection with a prior inspection flop.

The latest failure was recorded by the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. According to Air Force Global Strike Command, the unit received an "unsatisfactory" rating during the inspection in early August after personnel made "tactical-level errors" during an exercise.

"This failure resulted in the entire inspection being graded 'unsatisfactory,'" a statement from Global Strike Command said.

Read more ....

More News On A Key US Air Force Nuclear Missile Unit Failing A Key Security Test

341st Missile Wing receives unsatisfactory rating in inspection -- Air Force Global Strike Command
Malmstrom nuclear missile wing fails inspection -- Military Times
US Air Force nuclear missile unit fails safety test -- BBC
Air Force Nuclear Unit Fails Key Security Test -- ABC News/AP
Air Force unit fails nuke inspection -- CNN
US Air Force unit operating nuclear missiles fails safety and security inspection -- RT News
US: Unit operating nuclear missiles fails safety and security inspection -- In Serbia