Bush Confident in AF After Nuke ErrorAssociated Press | March 26, 2008
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's mistaken delivery to Taiwan of electrical fuses for an intercontinental ballistic missile raised concerns March 25 over U.S.-China relations and triggered a broad investigation into the security of Pentagon weapons.
But the White House expressed support in the Air Force, with White House press secretary Dana Perino saying President Bush "appreciates that they are taking action, and that there is a full investigation underway."
Asked whether Bush still has confidence in Air Force leadership, Perino said: "Yes, yes he does."
The shipment of the fuses to Taiwan is the second nuclear-related mistake involving the Air Force in recent months. Last August an Air Force B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. At the time, the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms aboard.
The latest instance to be revealed actually began in 2006, according to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, when the fuses, contained in four large shipping containers, were sent from F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming to a Defense Logistics Agency warehouse at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The containers apparently ended up in an unclassified area, rather than a classified section where they belonged.
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