Pentagon To Announce Massive Shakeup Of U.S. Nuclear Forces

Pentagon Studies Reveal Major Nuclear Problems -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will have to spend billions of dollars over the next five years to make emergency fixes to its nuclear weapons infrastructure, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will announce on Friday, after two separate Pentagon studies concluded that there are “systemic problems across the nuclear enterprise,” according to senior defense officials.

The reports are a searing indictment of how the Air Force’s and Navy’s aging nuclear weapons facilities, silos and submarine fleet have been allowed to decay since the end of the Cold War. A broad review was begun after academic cheating scandals and the dismissal of top officers for misbehavior, but it uncovered far more serious problems.

For example, while inspectors obsessed over whether every checklist and review of individual medical records was completed, they ignored huge problems, including aging blast doors over 60-year-old silos that would not seal shut and, in one case, the discovery that the crews that maintain the nation’s 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles had only a single wrench that could attach the nuclear warheads.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon About To Announce A Massive Shakeup Of U.S. Nuclear Forces

Key findings in AP investigation of problems in Air Force nuclear missile corps -- AP
Hagel to order nuke force overhaul to fix failures -- AP
U.S. defense secretary to announce nuclear operations overhaul -- Reuters
Pentagon to overhaul nuclear weapons programs following reviews -- Washington Post
Hagel to announce overhaul of U.S. strategic nuclear forces -- Washington Times
US nuclear arms: Hagel to announce major reform -- BBC
US nuclear force reviews find security flaws and poor leadership -- The Guardian
Hagel to unveil reforms for troubled US nuclear force -- AFP
Chuck Hagel To Order Shake-Up Of US Nuclear Forces, Following Series Of Scandals -- IBTimes
Reports: Pentagon to overhaul scandal-ridden nuclear force -- Al Jazeera

U.S. Navy Cheating Scandal At A Nuclear Training Site Is Far Greater Than Originally Reported

The sailors caught cheating were seeking to be certified as instructors at the nuclear training unit at Charleston, South Carolina. Students there are trained in nuclear reactor operations to prepare for service on any of the Navy’s 83 nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers, like the USS USS Nimitz, pictured. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr./U.S. Navy

Navy's Nuke Cheating Scandal Is Getting Even Bigger -- Kate Brannen, Complex/Foreign Policy

It turns out that a Navy cheating scandal at a nuclear power training site in Charleston, South Carolina, is much bigger than originally feared.

Senior Navy officials said in February that roughly 20 sailors had cheated on their qualification exams. Now, 78 enlisted sailors are implicated and the Navy is kicking out at least 34 of them, according to the military. Meanwhile, 10 of the sailors remain under criminal investigation. So far, the cheating appears to be limited to this unit in Charleston, but it dates back to at least 2007, according to an internal Navy investigation. The Navy's new punishments were first reported by the Associated Press.

The Navy is requiring additional ethics training and making other changes but some say the problem runs much deeper than just one unit or even one service. The Navy's cheating scandal is just one of several high-profile ethical violations found in the military in the last year.

Read more ....

Update: Navy kicks out 34 for roles in cheating ring at nuclear power training site -- AP

My Comment: These men and women are suppose to be the best .... clearly they are not. One can only hope that this is an isolated incident.