Report: Nuke inspection improperly documented - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Report: Nuke inspection improperly documented

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Air Force officials say the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base improperly documented an inspection of nuclear missiles in December.

A spokeswoman for the Cheyenne base, 2nd Lt. Brooke Brzozowske, said Friday that inspectors identified “deficiencies in several areas” during the inspection. Jennifer Thibault, spokeswoman for the U.S. Air Force Space Command, said the problems included “administrative and paperwork issues” related to the inspection.

The spokeswomen declined to elaborate, citing Defense Department policy for such inspections. A statement from Brzozowske said Space Command leadership remained confident that directors of the 90th Missile Wing would correct the problems.

“There is no margin for error in nuclear operations. The benefits of this careful examination are paramount to continued reliability and confidence in our nuclear enterprise,” the statement said.

The 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren oversees dozens of silo-based Minuteman missiles in southeast Wyoming and northern Colorado.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., said Friday he planned to meet with Air Force officials to find out more about what happened with the inspection. Coffman is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“All of these reports are cause for concern,” Coffman said in a statement. “The Armed Services Committee has already begun working on this problem, and I am committed to finding a solution to our management and security problems with our nuclear deterrent.”

The inspection problem followed the Air Force’s disclosure last year that electrical fuses for ballistic missile warheads were shipped to Taiwan by mistake. The mix-up apparently happened in Utah and involved fuses that originated at F.E. Warren.

The mix-up was part of a string of incidents involving the nuclear arsenal that led to a shakeup of top Air Force civilian and military leaders last year.

The incidents included the accidental arming of a B-52 bomber with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles in 2007. The bomber was flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms on board.