Witness: Officer admitted taking missile device

AP, via the Evening Sun ^ | September 30, 2008 | JAMES MacPHERSON

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

MINOT, N.D.—An Air Force supervisor says a Minot Air Force Base officer admitted taking a missile launch control device as a souvenir because he thought it would be "a cool thing to have."

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Idiot.

[Americanwolfsbrother]

Way to ruin your career for a “souvenir”.AWB

[ViLaLuz]

Wow... I’m speechless.

[Old Student]

“Idiot.”

That may possibly be the understatement of the year, in a very competitive year.

WRM, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

[Hoffer Rand]

What's the line?  "He chose poorly..."   Yeah, that's the one.

[04-Bravo]

Sometimes I wish we still had SAC, and Curtis LeMay was still its commander.

[PeterFinn]

How, pray tell, could one small and obsolete device detonate a nuclear weapon? If such a thing is truly a threat then the USAF seriously needs to review their security protocols.

[Hegemony Cricket]

"How, pray tell, could one small and obsolete device detonate a nuclear weapon?"

Fortunately for all of us this device would only detonate small and obsolete nuclear weapons...

[lilycicero]

How, pray tell, could one small and obsolete device detonate a nuclear weapon

That's what I was thinking along with..."I gots to get me one of them"....

[pallis]

Next time get one on Ebay.

[TaMoDee]

The USAF just disciplined 6 General Officers during the past couple of days over the mess transporting 5 nuke missles over CONUS with out the pilots knowing about it.

More heads to roll in the future. Great advancement opportunities for 0-6’s!!

[OldMissileer]

How, pray tell, could one small and obsolete device detonate a nuclear weapon?

These "devices" were small seals, about the size of a band aid, that are placed on the edges of the launch and enable panels as well as over the launch key slots.

They used to be called Positive Enable Seals, PES Seals, and cannot be tampered with without being broken.

They cannot launch anything, they are there to detect tampering and allow one of the crew members to hit the bunk during the alert.

Before these seals were put to use both crew members in the capsule had to remain awake at all times so there were three-man crews to allow one to go topside to sleep during their 72 hour alert.

After the seals were put into use alerts were pared to 24 hours and the crews consisted of only two men, thus saving manpower and allowing the crews to spend only a day away from home.

[thinking]

well!!! that is his side of the story...I suspect a close review of his fiances, may shed some light on his motives...

[OldMissileer]

The USAF just disciplined 6 General Officers during the past couple of days over the mess transporting 5 nuke missiles over CONUS with out the pilots knowing about it.

These people were from Logistics and were disciplined for allowing certain ICBM nose cone components to be shipped to Taiwan.

It had nothing to do with the B-52 from Minot carrying six ACMs across country.

[Old Student]

“Sometimes I wish we still had SAC, and Curtis LeMay was still its commander.”

I wasn't old enough to meet him, but worked for a lot of people who had after I enlisted in the early 70’s. He was certainly one of a kind, and highly respected even by most of those who disliked him. We could use more officers of that caliber, and quite a few less of the sort this thread is about. In all branches of the service, not just the Air Force.

[norton]

"Sometimes I wish we still had SAC, and Curtis LeMay was still its commander."

I learned long ago that the best cure is a shot of scotch and climbing into bed with al the covers you can pile on top.

You'll sweat out that fever in less than a day.

[TankerKC]

This was related to the Taiwan incident, but not all were loggies.

15 officers disciplined over nuclear botches

[MikeWUSAF]

The first Air Force Core Value is Integrity for a reason. I wouldn’t be caught dead taking a government pen off the base. Responsibilities like this officer had require the highest level of integrity. If you want to lie, cheat or steal join the Army or Marines.

[jagusafr]

“How, pray tell, could one small and obsolete device detonate a nuclear weapon? If such a thing is truly a threat then the USAF seriously needs to review their security protocols.”

Obsolete, in this case, means it no longer has current codes once it’s removed from the place it fits (is that “talking around classified” enough for ya?). I provided some first response to this particular incident. It was, indeed, stupid.

Colonel, USAFR

[RichInOC]

Cool, yes.

Going-to-Leavenworth cool?

Mmno.

[jagusafr]

“I wouldn’t be caught dead taking a government pen off the base.”

As a young JAG in the mid-80s, I was seriously considering writing a novel called “The Skilcraft Conspiracy”. Seemed like everybody’s house I visited had at least one of those pens.

Colonel, USAFR

[OldMissileer]

This was related to the Taiwan incident, but not all were loggies.

I did not write they were all Loggies but they were all in the logistics chain in this incident. It had to do with Logistics.

They had nothing to do with the transport of the ACMs.

[OldMissileer]

Seemed like everybody’s house I visited had at least one of those pens.

I hated those pens! I always bought and used my own as well as most of my office supplies except paper.

[TankerKC]

I did not write they were all Loggies but they were all in the logistics chain in this incident.

You in Post 14: These people were from Logistics...

You're welcome.

[Yo-Yo]

I always wanted a "Nuclear Consent" panel from the F-111A. It was just a safety-wired closed guarded switch that the A/C had to hold up in order for the WSO to pickle off a nuke. (This is an F-16 version, but similar.)

[The Sons of Liberty]

We could use more officers of that caliber, and quite a few less of the sort this thread is about. In all branches of the service, not just the Air Force.

You won't get another LeMay as long as the military, particularly the Air Force, has to the priority of political correctness and is used as an instrument for social change.

[MikeWUSAF]

Bad example, I guess the pens weren’t worth stealing. ;)

I missed my calling by not going to Law school.

TSgt USAF (Ret 10 year plan)

[Old Student]

“You won't get another LeMay as long as the military, particularly the Air Force, has to the priority of political correctness and is used as an instrument for social change.”

Take out the “particularly the Air Force” and I'll agree with you. You think the Army and Marines aren't being used in that way now? Or just not quite so much as the Air Force?

Either way, look at how many USAF people are deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan right now, compared to the Army and Marine presence. Weasely Clark was a good horrible example of that in the Army. I don't think we have quite so many of those in the Air Force, but the number isn't zero, either.

It should be, in all branches.

WRM, MSgt, USAF(ret.)

[LucyT]

Pinging.

[jagusafr]

Wasn’t bad enough you could barely grip them, then they had to put those stupid chains on them! Boy, THAT sure cut down on the theft - not.

Colonel, USAFR

[OldMissileer]

You in Post 14: These people were from Logistics... You're welcome.

They WERE all in the logistics system. They may not have had logistics AFSCs or MOSs but they were there in the chain of logisitics.

I did not write that they were certified logisticians.

Your welcome too.

[TankerKC]

Lt. Gen. Michael A. Hamel is Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

[TankerKC]

Maj. Gen. Roger W. Burg is Commander, 20th Air Force, Air Force Space Command, and Commander, Task Force 214, U.S. Strategic Command, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. He is responsible for the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile force, organized into three operational space wings with more than 9,600 people.