Philip Coyle, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information and a former assistant secretary of defense from the Clinton administration period, has a troubling question about the recent nuclear weapon incident in the US.
He wants to know if the six nuclear-tipped Advanced Cruise Missiles that were improperly removed from a guarded bunker at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and flown in launch position on a wing pod of a B-52H Stratofortress bomber on Aug. 29-30 to Barksdale AFB were programmed with targeting information.
He also wants to know if the Air Force and Pentagon, which last Friday concluded an investigation into that shocking incident (no nuclear weapons have been flown on a bomber over US territory for 40 years on presidential orders, and since 1991 no nuclear weapons are even supposed to be loaded for practice on a parked plane), ever checked the missiles' computer guidance systems.
No mention of target programming on the missiles, which were originally designed to fly low and fast to their targets to evade Soviet radar and interceptors, was made at the Pentagon press conference, at which the whole incident was explained away as a big "mistake." which It was announced that five officers and 65 enlisted people were "fired" from their positions as a result of the incident, but no specific information was given about what they had done, or not done, that led to their firings.
As Coyle observes, it might have been a good idea to check those computers.
Noting that the six missiles with their nuclear warheads had been pre-loaded into launching racks on a wing pylon, and stored that way in the weapons bunker for faster loading, Coyle says, "they may well have had them programmed for certain targets."
Coyle says that it's true that following the end of the Cold War, the military claims it no longer targets ICBMs at targets, but rather aims them at spots in the middle of oceans. This is to prevent an accidental launch, he says, and can be done because the modern intercontinental missiles have computers that can be reprogrammed with real target information very fast.
The older 1980s-era cruise missiles have older, smaller computers on board, though, and Coyle says because they are harder to program, he "wouldn't be surprised" if they were pre-programmed with terrain-mapping information "to get them to their eventual targets."
Certainly it would seem like the investigators who looked into this "mistake" should have checked out those onboard computers to see where these cruise missiles were programmed to deliver their errant 150-kiloton warheads. That information might have gone a long way towards establishing whether the missiles were moved to Barksdale AFB (a staging area for B-52s intended for use in the Middle East theater) by accident, or with some dark plan in mind.
The Air Force, as of this filing, has not provided an answer to this question. __________________
DAVE LINDORFF is an investigative reporter and columnist. His latest book, co-authored by Barbara Olshansky, is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006, and now out in paperback).
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
Dave Lindorff, a columnist for Counterpunch, is author of several recent books ("This Can't Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy" and "Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal"). His latest book, coauthored with Barbara Olshanshky, is "The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office (St. Martin's Press, May 2006). His writing is available at http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
If military officials disseminate the cover story that it was all just a series of mistakes: "ummmm Ooops!" , then surely the super secret Presidential/Vice Presidential orders with verifiably official seals and authentication are not going to be declassified officially any time soon. The targeting information would incriminate those neo-con, kool-aid drinking insiders looking to start WWIII, Armageddon, and martial law and so any FOIA isn't going to uncover it anytime soon.
There is NO freakin' way that those nuclear cruise missiles got accidentally checked out of a guarded munitions bunker, moved anywhere, and then attached under wing in launch ready configurations without a signed, sealed, and authenticated written order hand carried and delivered by some hard-nosed officer. Trained munitions officers are not going to even pretend to move nuclear warheads without some credible, authenticated, verifiable order.
Who signed that order?
Who has the authority to sign an order of that magnitude? Everyone who has the authority to sign an order of that magnitude should be scrutinized. Bush and Cheney have shown that they should supected as prime suspects capable of this kind of evil, covert nuclear first strike.
The real enemies of the Constitution of the United States must be opposed by all true patriots.
What committee in Congress is responsible for oversight on nuclear mishaps in the military? Tough questions need to be asked.
by
Tim Riley (7 articles, 5 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 132 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 7:32:09 PM
The comment above says: "There IS NO freakin' way nuclear cruise missiles get "accidentally" checked out of a guarded munitions bunker..."
I'm WITH YOU, Man. This is further proof that the Bushite surrendered to the terrorists. No, not the Fake-Ida terrorists - the real terrorists who hide in bunkers @ the Pentagon.
The military thrives on over-over-ovesight and double triple checking things... Many levels of oversight... Many redundant formalized procedures.
The real event - not that bogus concocted afer-the-fact fictionalized dog ate my homework story - must have been accompanied by some heavyweight authorizations: That's how the military operates. If checking something twice is enough, then better double check the double checkers... again.
OR perhaps I should say: "that WAS how the military OPERATED in the FORMER USA."
Let me just go ahead and say that:
"This would NEVER have happened in the USA."
by
mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 299 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 8:35:54 PM
for a rather detailed description of the IT support for the B-52 bomber.
Target programming of cruise missiles does not take place in the munitions storage area. Such targeting data comes from the B-52 OAS (offensive avionics system) using an old fashioned data transfer unit cartridge or DTUC. So, the target data upload onto the AGM-129 and W80-1 does not occur until the airplane is loaded with war reserve (live warhead equipped) cruise missiles and a DTUC with nuclear targeting data in readiness for a nuclear mission (or a test flight with a non-nuclear joint test assembly.) Think of the DTUC as a early (much lower tech and much larger) predecessor to your usb flash drive.
The targeting data for the DTUC is prepared by US Strategic Command according to national policy and sent to the Air Force. The Air Force prepares the DTUC for each cruise missile target. The DTUCs are under the control of the bomb wing operations group while the war reserve missiles are under the control of the bomb wing maintenance group.
Because nuclear alert for B-52s is not required under current conditions, the DTUCs with nuclear targets are kept secured (in a vault) away from the aircraft unless orders to prepare for a nuclear mission are received.
In this case, the mission was ferry of AGM-129 airframes (without live warheads) from Minot to Barkdale with a Barksdale airplane and air crew. There would be no reason for the DTUC(s) with nuclear targeting to be aboard the plane.
A more specifically worded question, which would get to the heart of the concern cited by Coyle and Lindorff, would be:
Has the Air Force accounted for all DTUCs at both the B-52 units and were any of the DTUCs containing nuclear targeting data for AGM-129s on-board the B-52 involved in this incident?
I believe (but have no direct knowledge) all the nuclear DTUCs were asleep in their vault drawer(s) and nowhere near this debacle. The Air Force could issue a statement to that effect to help further rebut the "aborted attack on Iran" theory.
Regarding Mr. Lindorff' statement "the military claims it no longer targets ICBMs at targets," I would point out former POTUS Clinton made this "claim" many times as well. I think it is a historical fact rather than an intentionally false statement covering up some rogue op as one might surmise from Mr. Lindorff's use of the word "claim." With a little bit of research, one could probably find dozens of non-military types that have said the same thing (Nunn, Lugar, Levin, Rice, Hadley, Skelton, Albright, and other high level USA officials, for example.)
by
Form (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 25 comments)
on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 2:19:43 AM
The code entry device to which you speak was a massive improvement over the older punched paper loaders I utilized under my SAC years. This was even then a two part series. Everything was done in two's. There was not a level at which someone was not signing, validating, or counter-checking any information that flowed down the pipe.
To acquire the target data (2-part code) we had to go to the Intel Office and retrieve the codes from the vault. Which was a 2 person process, much like you see in films, where two people hold the key for entry or activation purposes. From the lowest echelon to the commander there has to be accountability for every step of the program. The second part of the data came in via encrypted satellite, which required a two-part key for deciphering. While I had seen the older coders and the inital field trials of the newer cartridge loaders for the mission codes, we always had a dummy tape or cartridge loaded with U.S. coordinates to test the navigation systems on the missile and aircraft.
A better question to ask was if the pylon was fully connected or just the jettison feature? Sometimes done when there was no desire to use weapons, as during ferry flights. If the flight was intended to ferry the warheads then surely the NSC would have to be notified so they could track the heads.
The part that scares me the most is that the launch program allowed the aircrews several options for manual launch of the missiles at targets of oppurtunity. Such as bridges, Anti Aircraft facilities, Radar Centers and such. This means a hostile crew could have dropped the weapon or launched it in hopes of a low yield or dirty contamination of an area. According to Wiki sites the AGM-86 carries a few hundred pounds of fuel and a high explosive charge similar to 3000lbs of dynamite, used to detonate the core. Even if the missile were launched off the plane it would become the equivalent of the German Buzz bombs of WWII. The wings would deploy, whether the engine fired or not, it would then become a glider. Launched from high altitude it could glide into any city exploding on impact from the first thing it hit.
While I realize this is a might morbid of a topic. I found it interesting the local media chose to air this story followed by the ones covering the HAZMAT training for potential dirty bomb attacks. Where the U.S. Security spent some $30 million on the training exercises. Somewhere in a dark office it was decided the threat might be closer than we would like to think possible.
by
Hauut Undercollaar (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Friday, October 26, 2007 at 9:29:48 AM
Rather than an aborted attack on Iran, this more likely was a 'Thwarted' attack upon America.
Our genocidal nuclear war fighitng elite have taken it upon themselves to order that we be 'Granted Eternal rest.' This is what the nuclear weapons are all about. They got our name on them.
Russia is now flying aircraft 24/7 that are positioned to drop nuclear weapons on America. Nuclear war is still the 'Secret' plan, and is to be the end game of our nuclear war criminals.
Before they retire, they plan to smoke us all with this vast arsenal of nuclear weapons, that we have paid for. As the saying goe's, "You get what you pay for" and our nuclear war fighitng elite want to give it to us in a spectacular fashion. Exploding over our heads while they hide in the underground shelters that we also have paid for.
Military Electronic signaling ordered by the Pentagon of an impending nuclear strike upon Russia could be the reason for the high level Russian military activity. Russia and America are basically "Twins" conjoined at the head. The 'Secret' nuclear war fighting plans calls for destruction of both nations and the mass of both populations, along with the vast destruction of the majority of humanity.
As J. Edgar Hoover said: "The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so Monstrous, that he can not believe that it exists."
It doe's exist and has been in operation since the decision was made by the 'Supreme Command" in 1946 to assault humanity with nuclear weapons and kill us all.
We are the Living Dead.
You are all dead already. You are all six feet under.
How angry are you?
Maybe; 'Six Feet worth?'
by
Patrick (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 417 comments)
on Friday, October 26, 2007 at 12:36:55 PM
6 comments
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