U.S. missile crew fall asleep on duty
Published: 25 July, 2008, 02:08
The U.S. Air Force has revealed three ballistic missile launch crew members in North Dakota fell asleep while holding classified launch code devices this month.
Fortunately, catastrophe was averted.
An investigation by military and security personnel was launched.
The probe found the missile launch codes were outdated and remained secure, but the July 12 incident follows a series of mistakes by the U.S. Air Force.
Last month the country's Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a shake-up of the force's leadership following a series of nuclear-related mishaps.
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This should not worry us too much... the purpose of those missiles is to persuade other nations not to launch *THEIR* missiles, or deploy any types of nuclear weapons. We don't actually want our missiles to be launched, EVER, we just want everybody to know that in theory they COULD be launched, and that serves their entire purpose. So if the operators were asleep and had outdated codes... as long as they were asleep in a secure area, it's not really a big deal. We assume that in a real crisis it would not take very long to wake them up and get them the right codes... not that we'd really want that to happen anyway. Their purpose is served simply by being there.
Painfully irrelevant - particularly the bit about "crisis was averted". What ****-ing crisis? Was Russia fueling up their (seriously obsolete) SS-birds in their water-soaked silos? And - assuming the launch codes were (a) actually obsolete, and (b) physically in their snoozing hands (both ridiculous ideas) -- what exactly would be the issue? That they COULD have launched? (Sorry - that requires NCA.) That they could NOT have launched, 'cause the codes were obsolete? (Ummm...unlikely, to say the least.) That they could NOT have launched, 'cause they were asleep? (I dunno, but there's a phone by MY damn bed...) This story was beyond the VALLEY of ridiculous bull**** sensationalism -- and complete lack of understanding - or, in fact, functioning brain cells. The author should drown him/herself, immediately, from shame, at being such an effing idiot.