US missile crew falls asleep with launch codes

Reuters

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL: A US missile crew in possession of nuclear missile launch codes nodded off at work.

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A three-member US ballistic missile crew fell asleep while in possession of classified launch codes for nuclear missiles, the Air Force said.

But the launch codes were old and had been deactivated, and there was no actual security breach, according to an Air Force investigation that found only a violation of procedures.

The incident, which occurred July 12 at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, is only the latest embarrassing error involving the US nuclear arsenal.

The same installation was the site of a mix-up last year in which nuclear weapons were loaded by mistake on to a B-52 bomber that then flew across the United States to a military base in Louisiana.

That foul-up, which was followed by revelations that the Air Force had also sent nuclear fuses to Taiwan by mistake, prompted US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to take the unprecedented step of firing the Air Force's civilian and military leadership last month.

The Air Force said in a statement that an investigation into the latest problem showed the missile crew was in possession of components that contained deactivated launch codes at a missile alert facility.

"A crew reported they fell asleep while watching the components," the Air Force said in a statement.

"The codes had remained secured in containers using locks which combos were known only to the crew during the entirety of the incident. Additionally, access to the (facility) was continually controlled by Air Force security."

"The investigation concluded there was no compromise of the codes," the statement added.

Commanders of the Air Force's 91st Missile Wing at Minot will decide whether to discipline the missile crew.

Air Force officials said missile launch codes are routinely changed as a matter of security. The codes were located inside electronic components used to communicate with missiles while still in their silos, officials said.