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The U.S. Air Force's B-2 nuclear bomber wing failed in some cases to promptly decertify personnel who no longer should have had security privileges for components used to release nuclear weapons and prepare them for use, the Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 6, 2009).
The 509th Bomb Wing's Logistics Readiness Squadron did not change combination numbers for the secured room holding sensitive nuclear components at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri after two personnel who knew the numbers left the installation, the Air Force Audit Agency determined in an investigation last summer. Four individuals were also allowed to keep access cards for the area when they transferred to other posts on the base.
"There are literally hundreds of areas that are inspected at Whiteman each year, and the auditors found two deficiencies (with the access cards and the combination not being changed) that were quickly corrected," said Brig. Gen. Robert Wheeler, who oversees the base. "We welcome inspections because they help us achieve the highest standards necessary for stewardship of our nation’s most precious assets."
The Whiteman air base is believed to store roughly 24 complete nuclear weapons, including the B-61 Mod 11 bunker-buster, said Natural Resources Defense Council Senior Research Associate Robert Norris.
The facility's nuclear-weapon components are held in roughly 70 vaults "from the size of a closet to a whole building," said base spokesman Lt. Col. Jay Delancy.
A total of eight bases underwent audits, according to the Air Force Times.
The service faulted the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana for initially failing to keep tabs on roughly half of the 711 nuclear-weapon parts included in an inventory. All the components were later tracked down.
In addition, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada placed 52 sensitive nuclear components in an inadequately secured warehouse area.
Auditors uncovered no security issues at three other bases.
“It sounds very minor to me. At least we know someone is checking and doing the job," Norris said of the security lapses. "With these weapons spread all over the place, we just have our fingers crossed that they’re well-guarded."
The Air Force in recent years has been involved in a series of nuclear-weapon mishaps, including the accidental transfer of six nuclear-armed cruise missiles across the country in 2007 and the 2008 discovery that the Pentagon had mistakenly shipped ICBM fuses to Taiwan. The errors led to the 2008 sacking of the Air Force's top military and civilian leadership (Rick Montgomery, Kansas City Star, March 16).