“I can no longer sit back and allow the international Islamist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.”
A B-52 bomber flew the length of the United States last week loaded with six nuclear-armed cruise missiles in a major security breach.
The lapse was reported to President George W. Bush after the nuclear warheads were discovered when the aircraft landed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
An air force official, who also asked to remain unnamed, said the B-52, which originated at Minot Air Base in North Dakota, had six cruise missiles with nuclear warheads loaded on pylons under its wings.
A nuclear weapons expert said the air force keeps a computerized command and control system that traces any movement of a nuclear weapon so that they have a complete picture of where they are at any given time.
Unless a loose wingnut decides to send them off on his own – and no one notices.
“That’s perhaps what is most worrisome about this particular incident — that apparently an individual who had command authority about moving these weapons around decided to do so,” he said.
“It’s a command and control issue and it’s one that calls into question the system, because if one individual can do that who knows what can happen,” he said.
It’s bad enough we have to worry about the sanity of the clown who has his finger on the button – legally. Now, it looks like the flawless command and control system to oversee lower-level nutcases – is useless, too.
As bad as this sounds, I’ll take our system of control over Russia’s anyday.
imagine if it would explode ( i know it doest explode just coz it gets damaged)
would government still say the truth or would they blame terrorists?
Perhaps it was just a case of Cheney getting a little trigger happy and forgetting to mention it the the Chimperor.
It appears somebody may be preparing to create an attack on our own soil and claim it was from the outside.
Just imagine, there’s a rogue element within our government & military. This should have never happened!
imagine if it would explode ( i know it doest explode just coz it gets damaged)
would government still say the truth or would they blame terrorists?
Comment by igor
Considering the the new official Bush administration policy is to automatically blame ANY terrorist attack, on US soil, on Iran… your guess is as good as mine.
Larry Johnson’s (former CIA) take on the matter…
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/09/05/staging-nukes-for-iran/
This is more about sensational reporting. The devices weren’t armed, and are designed to survive a drop from altitude. Worry about the things they don’t tell you.
Ah, the predictable manure-spreaders have arrived to affirm there’s nothing to worry about.
Of course, all the systems designed to protect us – were also designed to prevent this incident from happening in the first place. I’ll bet you trust your daddy and mommy – and the tooth fairy, too.
So the question would be, is this the type of nuclear weapon we would use in the Iranian theater, assuming we had that intention?
You guys are missing the point. Nukes are not supposed to be moved around this easily. IT DOESN’T HAPPEN.
Read Larry Johnson’s site to get some info straight from people in the military that handle nukes…
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/09/05/staging-nukes-for-iran/
It appears somebody may be preparing to create an attack on our own soil and claim it was from the outside.
As long as they bomb Hollywood, I have no problem with it.
This is just too weird.
Common sense tells us there’s no such thing as a ‘command and control issue that would allow the accidental transfer of nuclear weapons from one location to another location’, even within the United States.
Isn’t the fact the destination is a jumping off point for Middle East operations too big a coincidence to be a coincidence?
Although it seems impossible, I suppose there’s a simple explanation for this weird thing happening.
Still, even though I’m not normally a conspiracy nut, I wonder WTF is really happening here?
So the question would be, is this the type of nuclear weapon we would use in the Iranian theater, assuming we had that intention?
Yes, bomber launched cruise missiles, or sub launched tomahawks would probably be the delivery system of choice for a low yield, tactical strike.
As long as they bomb Hollywood, I have no problem with it.
Comment by gquaglia
I live in Studio City. Nice comment JERK!
#10 — is this the type of nuclear weapon we would use in the Iranian theater, assuming we had that intention?
very good question — this could well be an intentional leak designed to remind the iranians, et al that we already actually have nukes and that we can deliver them in a matter of hours, and that our leader is just nuts enough to believe in limited nucular(sic) warfare, and that perhaps, just maybe, they might wanna rethink their enrichment plans *cough* *cough*
#12 As long as they bomb Hollywood, I have no problem with it.
a proud american, publicly willing to be complicit in the incineration millions of his fellow countrymen and women, and children
whattaguy!
just kidding
My cousin was a B-52 driver out of Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth, one of the US nuclear weapons stockpiles. Stuff like this wasn’t at all common, but it just might have happened in the 70’s – 80s.
The govt. seems more concerned with flip-flop shoes and baby formula at commercial airports than B-52 maintenance logs and ordnance loadouts, with the fine tech they have today. SAC used to do a much better job.
Locked n’ loaded, look out Iran.
“the air force keeps a computerized command and control system that traces any movement of a nuclear weapon”
– and, since it runs on Windows Vista, they’ve never tested it.
It certainly gives new meaning to “the blue screen of death”.
If you are going to nuke an American city make it Washington D.C. Please do it during the State of the Union speech to make sure you get them all. The only way to fix this country is to start from scratch.
#22 You forget Cheney hasn’t been attending a lot of the state of the union speeches for security reasons. President Cheney!
Improbus probably just got himself on the terrorist watch list with that one 🙂
This move was not done by accident, unfortunately we will never know the truth.
Simple explanation try it for size.
A lot of B52s fly from the base
I imagine some carry nuclear weapons like they did when the USSR was the main threat and some carry non-nuclear weapons.
One B52 look pretty much like another and maybe some of the weapon systems look similar whether nuclear or not – after all the air force wouldn’t want the other side to know one way or another which planes were hot and which were not.
Then either the wrong plane was loaded with bombs or the pilot got in the wrong plane or a detail in the order got switched around.
That would mean that a plane that should have had bombs on board didn’t how big a problem is that?
Nukes are dangerous. Even it they don’t go off, they’re heavy. If one were to fall on top of you, you’re toast. (well, more like jelly…)
#20 – Sinn Fein – Locked n’ loaded, look out Iran.
More like… Watch out Americans!!!
This is scary as hell!! But, what everyone seems to have missed is that they informed W about it. Now I’m just guessing here that the person who told him probably knew how to pronounce nu-cle-ar. So, my question is, is W still unaware due to missing that the word nu-cle-ar really means, in W speak, noo-cyoo-lar?
If you ever happen to find a nuclear weapon, be sure to turn it in to the “lost and found.” That’s what I always do.
#10 and #17 … bingo!
How do you threaten the Iranians to stop their nuclear activities, without actually threatening them? It’s so obvious it’s comical.
In related news, the Brits and Norweigians stopped 8 Russian war planes
by related i assume you are pointing out that the russian planes were flown after we moved our nukes and the russian probing of nato airspace could have been a response to news of the nukes movement.
i can see that.
#17 – grog – we already actually have nukes and that we can deliver them in a matter of hours
Minutes if you’re talking about sub-launched missiles.