Nuclear missile test cheating scandal

waltky · Nov 15, 2014

Origin of nuclear base troubles...

Trail of nuclear woes began at North Dakota base
November 15, 2014 — The trouble began here, trouble that has torn at the core of the nuclear Air Force and compelled two of the last three secretaries of defense — first Robert Gates and now Chuck Hagel — to ask: Who is minding the store?

Minot Air Force Base has had its share, and then some, of bad publicity about nuclear weapons foul-ups, followed by hard questions from Washington about why it and other nuclear bases are caught in a recurring cycle of trouble and recovery. Buried in the grasslands north and west of this small North Dakota city are 150 Minuteman 3 ballistic missiles, each tipped with a single nuclear warhead capable of destroying people and places halfway across the globe. Each is on "alert," ready to be launched at a moment's notice at all hours. No holidays here. Another 300 Minuteman missiles are in launch silos in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.

The trouble is not so much the Minuteman, although it passed its intended life span decades ago. The trouble is the creaky equipment and facilities that keep the missiles armed, secure and ready for a launch order from the president. The trouble also is the sagging morale of the men and women entrusted to operate the weapons. The problems have accumulated: drug use, exam cheating, domestic abuse, security violations, training lapses and inspection failures. Last year one senior officer at Minot summed it up by lamenting "rot" at the heart of the force. It's not just the Minuteman force, either.

A Missile Maintenance Team at Minot Air Force Base performs maintenance at the launch facility on the top three components of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

The Air Force's nuclear bomber force has not been immune from the morale, disciplinary, equipment and management problems suffered by the ICBM force. The B-52 bombers are so old — and so expensive to replace — that they could be nearly a century old before they are retired. The bomber force includes the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot, a second B-52 wing in Louisiana and a B-2 contingent in Missouri. These problems are not new, but they have stirred officials to promise new solutions.

Hagel flew to Minot on Friday immediately after he issued reviews of the nuclear force as a result of a series of Associated Press stories outlined the problems at Minot and other nuclear bases and ordered sweeping changes. "The internal and external reviews I ordered show that a consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses," Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday.

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Reports: US nuke force needs morale boost, billions in funding
November 15, 2014 WASHINGTON — U.S. nuclear forces were allowed to go downhill amid the distractions of two ground wars and now need infusions of cash and prestige to keep them safe and effective, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Friday.

Those were among the broad conclusions of two reports — one conducted within the Department of Defense and one by outside experts — Hagel ordered in February after troubling incidents in the nuclear force, including a test-cheating scandal and drug arrests. In all, the reports recommended more than 100 changes officials say will overhaul management of the U.S. nuclear force from top to bottom. Just after announcing the findings Friday, Hagel boarded a plane to Minot Air Force Base, N.D., with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James to visit nuclear missile and bomber personnel there.

Before he left, with top officials from the Defense Department and the U.S. nuclear enterprise alongside him, Hagel said high-ranking leaders had failed to pay enough attention to what he called DOD’s most important mission. “A consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses,” he said. “The reviews found evidence of systematic problems that if not addressed could undermine the safety, security and effectiveness of the elements of the force in the future.” Problems range from maintenance and skill deficiencies to a culture of micromanagement and overzealous inspections that did more harm than good, the officials said. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, who oversaw the internal report, said one bizarre incident uncovered in the studies serves as a metaphor for much of what’s wrong.

In that case, nuclear missile maintainers at three bases had only one crucial tool kit among them. Amid mismanagement from above, the best solution they could devise was to FedEx the tools from base to base as needed, he said. “They had reported it over and over, and they just worked around it,” he said. Each base now has its own set of tools and will soon have a backup set as well, he added. The leaders praised the quality of the airmen and sailors who man the nuclear enterprise but said many members, particularly in the Air Force, have been allowed to get the impression they’ve been routed into a dead-end career field. “The root cause has been a lack of sustained focus, attention and resources, resulting in a pervasive sense that a career in the nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement,” Hagel said.

To improve morale, the Pentagon is working to eliminate parts of the inspection regime that burden troops without paying off in better operations. The Air Force has also changed missile crew manning procedures, implemented an incentive pay plan for nuclear officers and enlisted troops and began awarding the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal for exceptional performance. To signify the importance of the nuclear forces, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command will become a four-star position, while the service’s Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration commander’s billet is being boosted to three stars. “We must restore the prestige that attracted the brightest minds of the Cold War era,” Hagel said. “They will no longer be outranked by their non-nuclear counterparts.”

Billions in funding
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Nuclear missile test cheating scandal

waltky Well-Known Member

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Nuclear missile test cheating scandal

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