Trouble for the nation's nuclear forces

[American_Jihad]

It's a leadership problem from the top down...

Official: 2 launch officers tied to drug probe

In this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, file photo, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel talks with retired Army Col. Rebecca Hooper, program manager for the Center for the Intrepid, after Hagel spoke to soldiers, veterans and staff at the center in San Antonio.​

7 hr ago |By Robert Burns of Associated Press

The investigation is the latest sign of trouble for the nation's nuclear forces, which have been suffering under security lapses, discipline problems and low morale.

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. — A U.S. defense official says two Air Force officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana have been implicated in an illegal-narcotics investigation.

The defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly by name, says both officers are ICBM launch officers with responsibility for operating the Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles and work for the 341st Missile Wing.

Related: US nuclear missiles are a force in much distress

The official says the officers' access to classified information has been suspended and the Air Force is investigating.

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Official: 2 launch officers tied to drug probe

 

[Mr. H.]

I'd hate to have a job where you know there's a 99.999% chance that you'll never be needed.

 

[S.J.]

Illegal narcotics in the Obama administration? Wow, I never would have imagined that!

 

[American_Jihad]

Illegal narcotics in the Obama administration? Wow, I never would have imagined that!

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd tried takin' dat nuclear missile test - he said it was too hard...

Hagel orders review of U.S. nuclear force
Thu January 23, 2014 ~ Incidents of misconduct prompt call for independent review; Officers cheated on test, a general was relieved of command over behavior; U.S. officials say nuclear arsenal remains secure, despite problems with personnel

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is ordering an independent review of the nation's nuclear force following revelations of misconduct involving officers, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Top leaders of the force plan to meet with Hagel in coming weeks, Defense Department spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said. The action follows a recent disclosure that nearly three dozen Air Force officers at a nuclear missile base in Montana were involved in cheating on a proficiency test. That followed a decision by senior military officials to discipline a general with nuclear oversight responsibilities whose personal misbehavior involving alcohol and women on an overseas trip got him into hot water. Kirby said "clearly, we've got some issues here," but added the Pentagon remains confident the U.S. nuclear arsenal is secure.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Air Force announced 34 officers with the 341st Missile Wing were implicated in the cheating scandal after a drug possession probe that involved two of those officers. Sixteen officers were ultimately found to have actually cheated on the monthly proficiency exam while the rest knew the answers had been shared with others and did not report the violation, the Pentagon said. All those disciplined in the investigation are no longer certified to conduct nuclear operations. There are approximately 190 officers overseeing readiness of nuclear weapons systems in Montana, meaning the scandal has touched nearly 20% of that force.

Other scandals include October's news that Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, who oversaw nuclear weapons, was relieved of his duties after he boozed, fraternized with "hot women" and disrespected his hosts during an official visit to Russia, Air Force officials said. There was no indication Carey's behavior compromised sensitive nuclear information or went beyond drinking, dancing and fraternizing with the women, officials said. Also in October, Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, who also oversaw nuclear weapons forces, was formally relieved of his duties as deputy chief of U.S. Strategic Command, according to Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Navy's chief of information. A military official said his demotion was connected to allegations that he used counterfeit gambling chips at an Iowa casino.

More Hagel orders review of U.S. nuclear force - CNN.com

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Hagel suggests nuclear proficiency tests may be too difficult
January 24, 2014 WASHINGTON – Proficiency tests for nuclear launch officers might be too difficult, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Friday.

“There’s a testing issue here,” Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon. “We have a pretty significant and tight and unforgiving test curriculum and regimen that I’m not sure doesn’t need to be explored and examined in some detail.” Earlier this month, 34 nuclear missile launch officers were implicated in a cheating scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. At least one of the officers texted answers to a proficiency exam to other officers last year in August and September, officials said.

Hagel suggested the difficult nature of the tests and the career implications of failure might have encouraged the cheating. “When you connect that with the high standards [and] expectation that every test you take, if you don’t make a 100 percent on every test then you’re eventually in a position where you probably minimize your chance for advancement,” Hagel said. “We’re going to take a look at how we train [and] continue to train and test all these young people who have who have this great responsibility. Standards must not be eroded, of course not, but is there a better way to do this [and] can we -- can we be more attuned to their interests?”

Former nuclear launch officers told the New York Times that cheating was widespread among missileers when they were in the Air Force because the test standards were so high. The intercontinental ballistic missile community has been plagued by other personnel problems and scandals recently. Seventeen launch officers at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. were sidelined in April 2013 for unsatisfactory performance and unprofessional attitudes. The cheating scandal was first discovered during an Air Force investigation of an illegal narcotics scandal in which ICBM launch officers were implicated. The drug revelations coincidentally came to light during Hagel’s visit to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo, on Jan. 9.

All three of the nation’s ICBM bases are located in remote and relatively unpopulated areas -- Great Falls, Mont., Cheyenne, Wyo., and Ward County, N.D. -- and the launch control centers where officers spend 24 hours at a time are far removed from cities and towns. During Friday’s press conference, Hagel suggested that boredom among launch might be contributing to the problem. “When you put these people in these locations where there is -- where there is almost a certain amount of isolation, I think that’s a dynamic of an environment that you have to factor in too,” Hagel said. “Do they get bored? Are we doing enough?” Hagel said the Defense Department would explore possible incentives that could be offered to launch officers to boost their morale and improve performance during an upcoming review of the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise, which was announced Thursday.

Hagel suggests nuclear proficiency tests may be too difficult - Air Force - Stripes

 

[American_Jihad]

92 nuclear missile officers implicated in cheating scandal, Air Force says


Nearly half of those who handle missile launch operations at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana are now involved in the proficiency test scandal.

By Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News
1/30/14

The number of nuclear missile launch officers under investigation for allegations of cheating has ballooned to 92, the Air Force said Thursday.

The new total is nearly three times the initial 34 officers who were implicated in the scandal and nearly one-fifth of the force. The officers have been taken off their missile wing duties during the investigation into the cheating, which happened during a key proficiency exam, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at a Pentagon news briefing.

Of the 92, 40 are suspected of actually cheating by obtaining answers in advance of the test; the remaining 52 were allegedly aware of the cheating, but failed to report it to superiors.

Advertise | AdChoices"The situation remains completely unacceptable," James told reporters.

Officials have stressed that there has been no change in the overall nuclear mission and no degradation of the U.S. nuclear capability.

"This is a failure of integrity, not a failure of the mission," James said Thursday.

The original officers in the probe, all assigned to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, are accused of apparently texting answers to each other, or knew that the cheating was going on and didn't report it, according to officials.

The monthly exam tested the officers' knowledge of the missile launch systems. It was administered in August and September 2013.

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92 nuclear missile officers implicated in cheating scandal, Air Force says - U.S. News

 

[waltky]

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.

MORE

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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

 

[Cross]

Where is Lemay when you need him...