The Rouge B-52, a foiled attack on Iran, and a missing Missile

[Makalakumu]

I came across this story in some of my internet meanderings...

http://www.rense.com/general78/kene.htm

[SIZE=+1]

[SIZE=+1]On Tuesday, August 28, Bush signaled an escalation of tensions with Iran in a raving speech before the American Legion convention in Kansas. Here he warned that the Middle East now lay in the shadow of a "nuclear holocaust" because of the Iranian nuclear program. He accused Iran of acting as a state sponsor of terrorism, intervening against the US forces in Iraq, and also made allegations about Iran as a backer of Hezbollah and Hamas. Diplomatic observers recognized that this tirade constituted an important intensification of US threats against Iran. [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]On Wednesday, August 29, Bush's threats moved a step towards fulfillment as US Air Force personnel loaded six cruise missiles onto the wing mounts of a B-52 intercontinental strategic bomber at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Each of the missiles carried a nuclear warhead of between 5 and 150 kilotons of explosive power. Reportedly because of mechanical problems, the loading process took some 8 hours. [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]On Thursday, August 30, the rogue B-52, with its cargo of six deadly nuclear-armed cruise missiles, made the 3.5 hour flight across the US to Barksdale, Louisiana. Barksdale is the number two US headquarters for nuclear warfighting, second only to Offutt AFB in Nebraska. Barksdale is also the jumping-off base for direct B-52 bombing runs into the Middle East, a role which Barksdale played in the shock and awe campaign in Iraq in the spring of 2003. By the time the rogue B-52 reached Barksdale, cataclysmic events were not far off. This was exactly the kind of situation which the Kennebunkport Warning, which by that time had been circulating on the internet for about three and a half days, had been concerned about. [/SIZE][SIZE=+1]At around this time, the rogue B-52 and its cargo appear to have come to a halt. Between the late afternoon of August 30 and the public announcement of the rogue B-52 incident on the afternoon of September 5, we enter a gray area which requires much further investigation. According to Wayne Madsen, it was a "revolt and push-back" by Air Force personnel determined to block a wider war in the Middle East from being set off by a nuclear sneak attack, with support from elements of the intelligence community, which blocked the rogue B-52 from proceeding towards a possible appointment with Armageddon in Iran or elsewhere in that region. This was exactly the case of loyal and patriotic military people refusing to obey an illegal order which the Kennebunkport Warning had pointed to less than four days earlier. As Madsen writes: "elements of the Air Force, supported by US intelligence agency personnel, successfully revealed the ultimate destination of the nuclear weapons and the mission was aborted due to internal opposition within the Air Force and the US Intelligence Community." ("Air Force Refused to Fly Weapons to Middle East Theater," September 24, 2007, Wayne Madsen Report.)[/SIZE]

[/SIZE]
Worse yet, one of the missiles may have gone missing...

But Madsen does stress one critical fact: according to reliable sources, one of the six nuclear-armed cruise missiles was reported missing in the course of the incident, and there was some indication that it was never found: "WMR has been informed by a knowledgeable source that one of the six nuclear-armed cruise missiles was, and still may be, unaccounted for. In that case, the nuclear reporting incident would have gone far beyond BENT SPEAR to a National Command Authority alert known as EMPTY QUIVER, with the special classification of PINNACLE."

One would think that there would be so many fail safes protecting the MOVEMENT of nuclear weapons that it wouldn't even be POSSIBLE for them to be flown across the country by mistake. Further, one would hope that these same fail safes would protect these same weapons from going missing.

However, if one is going to argue that these failsafes can miraculously fail and "oops we just screwed up with six nuclear weapons" then maybe anything is possible.

Regardless, the thought that there may be a missing nuclear weapon in a country run by raving lunatics is VERY scary indeed.

 

[Archangel M]

BWAHAHAHAH!!

Your "source" is worse than "The Independent" from that other thread. At least that one was an actual "newspaper". Like our nuclear transportation operations would be open source.

Please.

 

[theletch1]

Let me add to that... the "Air Force" doesn't refuse to do anything that it's ordered to do. There may be a General or some other individual member who refuses to fly something somewhere but they won't be in uniform for long if they do and they'd be all over the news if they were canned.

 

[elder999]

This incident is covered in a less "X-Filish" manner here.

Part of the reason for the whole "missing nuke" story is that it was variously reported as "6 nukes," as well as "5 nukes."

It was six......

This is part of the reason top Air-Force brass were fired today, as seen
here.

As for "other reasons" for their resignation, and our state of warfare with Iran, or the lack thereof, I couldn't say.

 

[CoryKS]

Here I was envisioning a Red Stratofortress. Not as much fun as a Yellow Submarine, but you take what you can get.

 

[CoryKS]

This incident is covered in a less "X-Filish" manner here.

Part of the reason for the whole "missing nuke" story is that it was variously reported as "6 nukes," as well as "5 nukes."

It was six......

This is part of the reason top Air-Force brass were fired today, as seen
here.

As for "other reasons" for their resignation, and our state of warfare with Iran, or the lack thereof, I couldn't say.

Yes, that is a clearer, saner perspective on the incident. Ironically, it raised the pucker factor. :erg:

 

[Makalakumu]

Looks like the Pentagon is cleaning house...

http://www.forbes.com/reuters/feeds...05283966_RTRIDST_0_USA-AIRFORCE-UPDATE-2.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the U.S. Air Force's top two leaders after a series of embarrassing missteps that raised questions about U.S. nuclear security, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, the top civilian and military leaders, "both will be leaving," one senior U.S. military officer said.

More troubling, it looks like there have been several incidents involving the mishandling of nuclear weapons.

The resignations follow a string of embarrassing incidents for the Air Force.

In August 2007, an Air Force bomber mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads flew across the United States. The Air Force fired a commander in response, but lawmakers criticized what they saw as a lack of accountability.

Senior Pentagon officials raised concerns about the issue as recently as last week, said one source familiar with the discussions.
Concern about the security of U.S. nuclear and nuclear-related equipment escalated in March when the Pentagon admitted the erroneous fuse shipment to Taiwan in 2006. The U.S. military never caught that error, which was brought to light by Taiwanese authorities.

On the surface, I would expect people to lose their jobs over this. However, if the alternative portrayal has any ring of truth, then maybe the dissidents are being cleared out.

 

[Makalakumu]

This incident is covered in a less "X-Filish" manner here.

Part of the reason for the whole "missing nuke" story is that it was variously reported as "6 nukes," as well as "5 nukes."

I read about this when it happened and I couldn't beleive that the Air Force could have been so careless.

However, recently, I was listening to some interviews of certain top officials on the internet and they said something like this CAN'T happen. The movement of these warheads is monitored so closely, that they couldn't have been mistakenly loaded and flown across the country without some kind of official clearence.

Various reporting or not, one would hope that there really are all accounted for.

 

[theletch1]

I hear something a little closer to the second linked story on Coast to Coast Am while running at night. Interesting situation no matter how you look at it. No matter how many safeguards are put in place complacency will always find a way to screw things up. I'm just not that into conspiracy theories to think it's more than complacency.

 

[Makalakumu]

BWAHAHAHAH!!

Your "source" is worse than "The Independent" from that other thread. At least that one was an actual "newspaper". Like our nuclear transportation operations would be open source.

Please.

If you mean that I should just bow down and defer to the official word of the mainstream press that is owned and controlled by the financial oligarchs that profit off of illegal wars they cause, then I'm not interested.

If you don't want to bother with the alternative media, that's your perogative, but I can tell you one thing for sure. You will not ever know ANYTHING that the Elites don't want you do know.

In order to be better informed, you have to look elsewhere and consider all opinions.

 

[CoryKS]

I hear something a little closer to the second linked story on Coast to Coast Am while running at night. Interesting situation no matter how you look at it. No matter how many safeguards are put in place complacency will always find a way to screw things up. I'm just not that into conspiracy theories to think it's more than complacency.

Yup. "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

 

[Makalakumu]

Yup. "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Why?

 

[Archangel M]

And our military is amongst the best in the world, so one can imagine how ****ed up other nations militaries are. As long as people are involved in any process mistakes will be made. Its the way its always been.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

If I'm not mistaken, there was a similar issue about a year ago involving warheads accidentally flying across the US airways because, due to an administrative error, the missiles were thought to have been dismantled. This was a fairly publicized event, but like I said, it occured around a year ago. Is the topic of this thread a separate, more recent event, or are they one and the same?

And on a more trivial note, the title should read "Rogue B-52...", not "Rouge"...sheesh, I thought this mistake could be confined to World of Warcraft, but I guess not.

 

[Archangel M]

Why?

Because it would take all the work away from conspiracy theory whackjobs who love to surf the net for hours looking for the latest moonbat theories to wring their guts over.

 

[Archangel M]

If I'm not mistaken, there was a similar issue about a year ago involving warheads accidentally flying across the US airways because, due to an administrative error, the missiles were thought to have been dismantled. This was a fairly publicized event, but like I said, it occured around a year ago. Is the topic of this thread a separate, more recent event, or are they one and the same?

And on a more trivial note, the title should read "Rogue B-52...", not "Rouge"...sheesh, I thought this mistake could be confined to World of Warcraft, but I guess not.

Thats the one were talkin about bro.

 

[CoryKS]

Why?

Because otherwise you'll find yourself one day wrapped head-to-toe in tinfoil with a butcher knife in your hand, methodically dissecting your beloved dog to find the CIA receiver that you just know is in there somewhere.

 

[elder999]

And our military is amongst the best in the world, so one can imagine how ****ed up other nations militaries are. As long as people are involved in any process mistakes will be made. Its the way its always been.

Having first-hand knowledge of the state of security in the former Soviet Union, trust me, you can't imagine....

 

[Makalakumu]

Because it would take all the work away from conspiracy theory whackjobs who love to surf the net for hours looking for the latest moonbat theories to wring their guts over.

Or it just makes life easier for some people...

 

[Makalakumu]

Because otherwise you'll find yourself one day wrapped head-to-toe in tinfoil with a butcher knife in your hand, methodically dissecting your beloved dog to find the CIA receiver that you just know is in there somewhere.

They put it in my dog! My god, where's my knife!