Air Force Sent Nuclear Fuses to Taiwan in 2006. Didn't Get Them Back Until, Well Friday

Okay, here's the deal, Dudes.  

How about you bring back my niece, who didn't join the Air Force to drive trucks in Iraq and put her to work keeping track of classified equipment.  I bet she'd do a helluva better job.  Something is seriously wrong with the assignment of jobs in the Air Force.

You had these starry eyed kids growing up seeing how the Air Force helped foil genocide in Kosovo, and then when  they got old enough to join they were sent to Iraq to enable genocide and resource theft while stateside you have people letting nuclear missile enabling equipment roam around the world.

According to reports at Reuters, Washington Post, and the AP the parts did not contain any nuclear material themselves.

I'll start with what I think is essential from Reuters report "U.S. mistakenly sent nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan" and then see if we are missing anything from the others.

The Air Force sent 4 fuses for nuclear missiles, portions of triggers for Minutemen Missile to Taiwan in lieu of 4 helicopter batteries in 2006.  The error was caught last week and the parts returned Friday.

Though such sensitive parts are supposed to be checked on every three months by Air Force personnel, the sensitive parts were not missed in most of more than a year's time while they were overseas.  Taiwan initiated the discovery and notified the US that it didn't receive the helicopter batteries it ordered.

I'm assuming the call was transferred to the complaint department and then shunted off to some handler in India.  Hilarity ensued. Or not.

The US informed China because they feel they own the island, but since officials didn't know what the Air Force had  done until last week, it was only very recently.  Most likely the repercussions have not even developed. 

Okay, maybe you feel safe, but you're not a satellite are you?  First China will have to shoot one down and then we'll have to shoot one down.  What if Russia starts feeling inferior and they have to shoot one down? We could have a full scale satellicide going on in a little while.  (Iran can get into space now, maybe they'll have to rattle their swords and shoot something down up there, too.)  Personally I'm not planning to visit the space station anytime soon.  I'm not too sure of everyone's aim from down here.

Reuters reminds us:

The fuse shipment marks the Pentagon's second embarrassing misplacement of nuclear or nuclear-related equipment announced in the past year. An Air Force bomber last year mistakenly flew over the United States with nuclear warheads.

Such sensitive military devices are supposed to be accounted for every 3 months, and are required to be kept in special areas, not the places where crates of helicopter batteries would be found.  In addition Reuters informs us that the fuses likened to "something akin to a nose-cone assembly" by the Pentagon spokesman did not look like helicopter batteries, and can only be used on minutemen missiles so unless we mistakenly ship some of them over to Taiwan too, I guess China can't be too angry.   (The US does supply Taiwan with weapons to "protect itself" from the mainland.)

Bush on the red phone at 3 am:  Well, tell you what, friends, how about we let you pirate all the US movies you want for the next three months.  And come over for a barbecue again soon.  Oh, you got sick last time?  The chili wasn't hot enough?  Thems fietin' words, fella.  Nobody says Texas chili tain't hot enough for 'em.  Fine! When I come over there  next I'll eat some of your dishes made with wathucallem  "bird chilis".  I'll show you how a real American gets sick, pukes on your leader's lap, and passes out.

According to AP report "Pentagon Admits Mistaken Arms Shipment" the parts are outdated, from designs of the 60s, and it appears they weren't tampered with while in Taiwan. 

and

...the fuses had been in four shipping containers sent in March 2005 from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., to a Defense Logisitics Agency warehouse at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It was then in the logistics agency's control and was shipped to Taiwan "on or around" August 2006, ...

The Post report "Pentagon Admits Mistaken Arms Shipment" catches most of the propaganda from the Bush administration:

"There are multiple players; there are multiple parties involved," said Ryan Henry, principal deputy undersecretary of defense policy. "We'll do a thorough investigation, and those who are found responsible will be held accountable."

...

Henry, who called the error "disconcerting," said the government of Taiwan acted "very responsibly," quickly notifying the United States that the four boxes it received in fall 2006 did not appear to contain what had been ordered.

Heck. They wanted their helicopter batteries!

No one has said if Bush asked why he was woken up when he was told about the incident. 

tags: nuclear weapons  taiwan  china  pentagon  robert gates  secretary of state  

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