Replies

a. NUCFLASH: An accidental or unauthorized launching, firing, or use by US forces or US supported allied forces, of a nuclear-capable weapon system which could risk the outbreak of war. These include:

(1) Detonation of a nuclear weapon.

(2) Launch of a nuclear or nuclear-capable missile.

(3) Unauthorized deviation from an approved flight plan by a nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable aircraft with the capability to penetrate the airspace of the former Soviet Union (Commonwealth of Independent States).

b. Broken Arrow: An accident or unexpected event involving nuclear weapons, warheads, or nuclear components resulting in any of the following:

(1) Detonation of a nuclear weapon.

(2) Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a weapon.

(3) Public hazard, actual or implied.

c. Empty Quiver: Loss, theft, seizure, destruction of a nuclear weapon.

d. Bent Spear: A significant incident or unexpected event involving weapons, warheads, or components which does not fall into the Broken Arrow category. These include:

(1) Damage to a nuclear weapon or component to the extent that major rework, complete replacement, examination or re-certification by the design agency is required.

(2) Requires immediate action for safety or weapon security, or may result in adverse public reaction (national or international) or premature release of information.

(3) Has such potential consequences as to warrant the interest or action of officials or agencies outside the Air Force.

e. Dull Sword: A nuclear safety deficiency. Dull Swords are the most common type of reports, are used to identify a situation, event, or condition not reportable as a Broken Arrow, Empty Quiver, or Bent Spear which could or does degrade nuclear surety. A Dull Sword normally involves an unusual event or significant problem that cannot be properly resolved by the reporting unit. Dull Sword reports bring these problems to the attention of those agencies which can evaluate the problem and correct it if necessary. Additionally, Dull Sword reports are crossfed to units with like equipment so they can check their inventories and correct deficiencies before they become mishaps. Events or conditions classified as Dull Swords include the following:

(1) Damage, malfunction, or failure of a nuclear weapon or warhead.

(2) Exposure of weapon or warhead to unusual or severe environments such as flood, earthquake, lightning, etc.

(3) Inadvertent release, launch, loss, or destruction of a nuclear training weapon or ballast dummy warhead.

(4) Unauthorized tampering, attempted break in, or other unusual security related events at nuclear weapon operational or storage facilities.

(5) Security deficiencies observed during logistic movement of nuclear weapons.

(6) Nuclear-certified equipment (listed in TO 00-110N-16) damaged, malfunctions, or fails by other than normal wear.

Stay safe .........

The term "Broken Arrow" was an actual term used in the AF. It was used identify a peacetime, nuclear weapons accident. (A peacetime nuclear weapons security incident was called a "Bent Spear") I do not know the exact date, but some time during the 60's a cargo aircraft carrying a nuclear weapon crashed at the USAF air base at Wheelus in Libya. The crash caused the weapon to break open and when the aircraft burned some of the high explosives in the weapon detonated spreading radiation over a portion of the base. Extensive cleanup ensured the remove the radioactive debris. I have a friend of mine who was at Wheelus when it happened and he told me almost all of the base, including families, were evacuated to Europe. As a result of the accident the AF realized it did not have any procedure or training in how emergency services would respond to an aircraft accident involving nuclear weapons. Early in my career I was a firefighter and I can remember responding to simulated aircraft accidents involving nuclear weapons. The secenario would usually be a cargo aircraft carrying nuclear weapons had an inflight emergency of some type. There was a classified Tech Order that had code terms for different types of weapons so that the firefighters would know how much HE was onboard. Base emergency services would respond and then the excercise would simulate the aircraft crashed, broke up, and caught fire. The fire department would respond and fight the fire. The next stage of the excercise would be that the fire department was unable to keep the fire from spreading to the weapon. All emergency services would then evacuate a safe distance. Fire would spread to the weapon causing the HE to either catch fire or explode, spreading radioactive material. Base decontamination personnel would then respond and start the cleanup. Not all Broken Arrow excercises went that way but that was a typical way the excercise flowed.

I don't know if these type of training excercises are still held but the potential for having an accident with an aircraft carrying nuclear weapons is still very much real. So I am sure that the AF still has some type of emergency training excercise to deal with this type of emergency.