Re: Can't the USAF do better?

Answer: no.

The Air Force has decided to relieve at least five of its officers of command and is considering filing criminal charges in connection with the Aug. 29 "Bent Spear" incident in which nuclear-armed cruise missiles were mistakenly flown from North Dakota to Louisiana, two senior Air Force officials said yesterday.

Although senior Defense Department officials have not been fully briefed on the results of an Air Force probe of the incident, the sources said that at least one colonel is expected to lose his position and that several enlisted personnel will also be punished as part disciplinary actions that could be among the toughest meted out by the Air Force in years.

The measures are expected to be formally announced tomorrow along with the detailed findings of an internal, six-week investigation into how a B-52 bomber crew mistakenly flew from one military air base to another with six nuclear warheads strapped to its wings. Air Force veterans have described the Aug. 29 incident as the one of the worst breaches in U.S. nuclear weapons security in decades.

A senior Air Force official familiar with the investigation said officers will be relieved at both installations involved in the incident: Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Barksdale Air Force Base, La. A colonel commanding one of the Air Force wings is likely to be the highest-ranking officer to be relieved, the official said.

In addition, the official said, letters of reprimand will be issued to several enlisted service members. The personnel actions may be followed by criminal charges against one or more people, but that course of action is still being discussed at the highest levels of the Air Force, he added. The most likely such charge, he said, would be either dereliction of duty or willful disobedience of an order.

The anticipated personnel and disciplinary actions would be the most severe ever brought in the Air Force in connection with the handling of nuclear weapons, one of the officials said. The intention is to send the message that "the Air Force is getting back to the roots of accountability," the other official said. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active.

The intention is to send the message that "the Air Force is getting back to the roots of accountability," the other official said. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active.

Maybe they can pay Ted Rall to generate some PowerPoint training slides on proper handling of nukes, and why it's really not smart to discuss "accountability" when leaking information...

Flop

Heh:

Leaders of an antiwar group delivered petitions to Congress yesterday that they said had been signed by 2,050 service members and veterans calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

The group, Appeal for Redress, did not release the names of those who signed petitions but said that 1,274 are active duty and another 488 are in the National Guard or Reserve.

Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, co-founder of the group, said that many service members fear reprisal if they are public in their opposition to the war. Hutto was the only active-duty member of the armed forces to appear at a news conference on Capitol Hill.

Unless you're California Congressman Bob Filner:

Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and one of four House Democrats attending the news conference, called the petitions "courageous" and said they would bolster efforts to stop the war. "Your standing up will make us stand up even taller," he said.

Real story on the Appeal for Redress scam here. They're a flop - and we helped flop 'em.

the human side of war

There are many people mourning 1st Lt Thomas Michael Martin USA, USMA '05. Tom celebrated his 27th birthday one week ago. He died 4 days later.

Tom and I became acquainted through blogging. He had a great online journal chronicling his life's path. Tom was enlisted (green), was accepted to West Point (grey) and graduated an officer in the US Army (gold). Thus, Tom originally called his blog Green to Grey to Gold. His mother Candis is career (active) Army... his Dad Ed is retired career Army. Tom's fiancee is an Army medevac pilot... both were deployed to Iraq. She'll be returning to complete her tour. I never got to meet Tom, but we corresponded for the last few years as he completed his time at West Point, went for tank training... was assigned to lead a sniper squad in Alaska... deployed to Iraq... I considered him my friend.

I know that those who post here need no reminding... but sometimes all the politics, strategy, finger pointing and arguing fall away and we remember the human side of war.

You can read more HERE and HERE.