Saturday, October 12, 2013

Slow Saturday Special: Not Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

See: Slow Saturday Special: US Nuclear Watchdog Fa$t A$leep

The Pentagon is kicking them awake:

"Air Force fires general in charge of land missiles; He is 2nd nuclear commander relieved in week" by Craig Whitlock |  Washington Post, October 12, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Air Force fired a general in charge of all land-based nuclear missiles on Friday, the second time in a week that a senior commander of the country’s nuclear arsenal has been let go for allegations of personal misconduct.

Major General Michael Carey, commander of the 20th Air Force, was removed from his job ‘‘due to a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership and judgment,’’ said Brigadier General Les Kodlick, an Air Force spokesman.

Air Force officials said Carey has been under investigation since this summer for allegations of ‘‘personal misbehavior’’ but would not specify what prompted his firing.

Pressed by reporters at a Pentagon news conference, Kodlick said the case did not involve drugs, sexual misconduct, gambling, or any form of criminal activity, but he declined to comment when asked if alcohol played a role. He said he could not give further details because the investigation was still underway....

The US military has seen a rash of generals and admirals lose their jobs over the past year for alleged personal misconduct. But the firings of Carey and Vice Admiral Tim Giardina were especially unusual, given their responsibility for nuclear weapons.

The 20th Air Force is responsible for operating intercontinental ballistic missiles. Overall, the Air Force maintains about 450 Minuteman III missiles at three bases in North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

The Air Force said Carey’s alleged misconduct occurred during a temporary duty assignment away from the 20th Air Force headquarters in Cheyenne, Wyo., although officials declined to say where it happened, or when.

The decision to relieve Carey of command was made by Lieutenant General James Kowalski, the head of the Air Force Global Strike Command, after he received an interim report from the Air Force’s inspector general, officials said.

Air Force officials said Carey’s actions had not compromised the security or effectiveness of their nuclear arsenal. The 20th Air Force ‘‘continues to execute its mission of around-the-clock nuclear deterrence in a safe, secure, and effective manner,’’ Kowalski said.

The Air Force, however, has been dogged by persistent concerns about its management of nuclear forces.

In August, the Air Force relieved a colonel in charge of a nuclear-weapons unit at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, citing a ‘‘loss of confidence’’ in his leadership. In June, a commander in charge of training missile crews at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota was fired after an unusually large number of launch operators performed poorly on tests.

In 2008, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the Air Force’s top general and civilian leader after a series of nuclear gaffes occurred on their watch, including an incident in which a B-52 bomber crew flew across the country without realizing that six cruise missiles on board had been loaded with nuclear warheads.

And one was "lost."

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RelatedNorth Dakota Nukes on the Loose?

First there were reports of a US nuclear weapon being transferred to the East Coast without the proper paper trail, and now two top commanders in charge of the US nuclear arsenal have been fired for what seem like trivial reasons! So if there is a blinding flash and a mushroom cloud near you, ignore those presstitutes and whorespondents at ABCNNBBCBSFOX when they claim it just HAD to be Iran!


Also see

"Number two US nuclear commander suspended amid investigation" by Robert Burns |  Associated Press, September 29, 2013

WASHINGTON — The number two officer at the military command in charge of all US nuclear war-fighting forces has been suspended and is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for issues related to gambling, officials said Saturday.

That smells like a crap cover story.

The highly unusual action against a high-ranking officer at US Strategic Command was made more than three weeks ago but not publicly announced.

Air Force General Robert Kehler, who heads Strategic Command, suspended the deputy commander, Navy Vice Admiral Tim Giardina, from his duties on Sept. 3, according to the command’s top spokeswoman, Navy Captain Pamela Kunze.

Giardina is still assigned to the command but is prohibited from performing duties related to nuclear weapons and other issues requiring a security clearance, she said.

Kehler has recommended to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that Giardina be reassigned, Kunze said. Giardina has been the deputy commander of Strategic Command since December 2011. He is a career submarine officer and before starting his assignment there was the deputy commander and chief of staff at US Pacific Fleet.

Two senior US officials familiar with the investigation said it is related to gambling issues. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the inquiry is incomplete.

Strategic Command oversees the military’s nuclear fighter units, including the Navy’s nuclear-armed submarines and the Air Force’s nuclear bombers and nuclear land-based missiles. It is near Omaha.

Kunze said Strategic Command did not announce the Sept. 3 suspension because Giardina remains under investigation and action on Kehler’s recommendation that Giardina be reassigned is pending. The suspension was first reported by the Omaha World-Herald.

The spokeswoman said a law enforcement agency, which she would not identify, began an investigation of Giardina on June 16. Kehler became aware of this on July 16, and the following day he asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to begin an inquiry.

The suspension is yet another blow to the military’s nuclear establishment. Last spring the nuclear missile unit at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota pulled 17 launch control officers off duty after a problematic inspection and later relieved of duty the officer in charge of training and proficiency.

In August a nuclear missile unit at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana failed a nuclear safety and security inspection; nine days later an officer in charge of the unit’s security forces was relieved of duty.

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Related:

"The deputy commander of US nuclear forces, Vice Admiral Tim Giardina, was notified Wednesday that he has been relieved of duty amid a military investigation of allegations that he used counterfeit chips at an Iowa casino, the Navy said. The move is exceedingly rare and perhaps unprecedented in the history of US Strategic Command, which is responsible for all nuclear forces, including nuclear-armed submarines, bombers, and land-based missiles."

What I can't figure out here is if the ma$$ media barking is because a faction of the U.S. military that is still loyal to this country is clearing out the dual-national, Israel-first traitors that have infiltrated the U.S. security establishment to stop a nuclear false flag, or whether those very same patriots and potential whistleblowers are being run out before something bad is to happen.

"Military removes commander of nuclear weapons unit" Associated Press,  August 26, 2013

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. — The Air Force has removed the commander of a nuclear weapons unit at a Montana base following a failed safety and security inspection that marked the second major misstep this year for one of the military’s most sensitive missions.

Military leaders said the decision to relieve Colonel David Lynch of command at Malmstrom Air Force Base stems from a loss of confidence. They say it is not the result of the failed inspection this month.

Lynch will retire, base spokesman Sergeant Robert Biermann said Sunday. Lynch’s command included the 341st Missile Wing, which operates land-based nuclear missiles known as 450 Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles. The unit failed a review of its adherence to rules that ensure the security and control of its nuclear weapons.

This is the second time in recent months that an Air Force nuclear commander was replaced following a high-profile security problem.

Lieutenant Colonel Randy Olson was relieved of duty at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., in June. The AP first reported an unprecedented sidelining of 17 launch officers there in May following an exceptionally poor review in the spring.

The 341st Security Forces Group, which Lynch had led since June 2012, has more than 1,200 personnel members and four squadrons. It provides security for the 341st Missile Wing, 15 launch control centers, and 150 nuclear missile silos in a huge area of central Montana.

The decision to remove Lynch was announced in a statement Friday. There is no timeline for selecting his replacement, however. Colonel John Wilcox, Air Force Global Strike Command Security Forces Division director, will take over on an interim basis.

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"Air Force nuclear missile unit fails inspection; Setback is latest embarrassment for the command" by Robert Burns |  Associated Press, August 14, 2013

WASHINGTON — An Air Force unit that operates one-third of the nation’s land-based nuclear missiles has failed a safety and security inspection, marking the second major setback this year for a force charged with the military’s most sensitive mission, the general in charge of the nuclear air force said Tuesday.

Lieutenant General James M. Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said a team of ‘‘relatively low-ranking’’ airmen failed one exercise as part of a broader inspection, which began last week and ended Tuesday. He said that for security reasons he could not be specific about the team or the exercise.

‘‘This unit fumbled on this exercise,’’ Kowalski said by telephone from his headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., adding that this did not call into question the safety or control of nuclear weapons at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

‘‘The team did not demonstrate the right procedures,’’ he said, and as a result was rated a failure.

To elaborate any more on the problem ‘‘could reveal a potential vulnerability’’ in the force, Kowalski said.

Without more details it is difficult to reliably judge the extent and severity of the problem uncovered at Malmstrom, home of the 341st Missile Wing, which is one of three nuclear missile wings. Each wing operates 150 Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, on alert for potential launch against targets around the globe....

The troubles are the latest in a longer series of setbacks for the Air Force’s nuclear mission, highlighted by a 2008 Pentagon advisory group report that found a ‘‘dramatic and unacceptable decline’’ in the Air Force’s commitment to the mission.

Following a series of nuclear embarrassments in 2008 — including the inadvertent transport of six nuclear-tipped missiles on a B-52, whose pilot did not know they were aboard when he flew from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. — then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the top two Air Force officials.

Kowalski’s command was created in late 2009 as part of an effort to fix what was broken in the nuclear force.

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Looks like there is rot in the force.

"General promises reform at N.D. base" Associated Press, June 18, 2013

MINOT, N.D. — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reassured hundreds of airmen Monday that recent nuclear weapons missteps at their North Dakota base would be corrected, but he did not elaborate on the ‘‘failures of leadership’’ he blames for causing the problems.

Army General Martin Dempsey spoke at a packed B-52 hangar at Minot Air Force Base, a trip that came days after the commander in charge of training and proficiency at the base’s 91st Missile Wing was ousted because of ‘‘a loss of confidence.’’

‘‘We’ll figure this out,’’ Dempsey said. ‘‘I’m going to leave here feeling much better about everything.’’

The base has endured a rash of nuclear-related blunders. It scored an equivalent of a ‘‘D’’ grade for its mastery of missile launch operations during a test in March.

Dempsey’s hour-long address was part pep-talk and part question-and-answer with the troops that dealt mostly with military budget issues.

The general and his wife, Diane, toured the base prior to his address.

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