Air Force: Nuclear missile crew fell asleep on duty

David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster

Published: Thursday July 24, 2008





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The Air Force said Thursday that it plans to punish three officers who fell asleep on July 12 while guarding a classified nuclear launch codes device.

The device contained codes that had been deactivated, but nevertheless their lapse of unconsciousness constituted a 'procedural violation' -- and one which the Air Force wishes to avoid in the wake of Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing accidentally flying six warheads over the United States last August. The sleeping officers on July 12 were also from Minot.

"While waiting for permission to bring the device back to base, the three officers with the code component in their possession fell asleep," reported the Air Force Times. "The fourth officer was not present.

"When they woke up, the officers reported the incident to their command, said Col. Dewey Ford, a Space Command spokesman. Representatives from U.S. Strategic Command, Space Command, the 91st Missile Wing at Minot, the 20th Air Force  headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and the National Security Agency investigated the incident. They found that the missile launch codes were not compromised."

"This does bring a new meaning to the phrase, 'Asleep at the switch,'" said Barbara Starr, a CNN Pentagon correspondent.

This video is from CNN's Situation Room, broadcast July 24, 2008.



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