Air Force Postpones Review of Minot Nuclear Bombers

The U.S. Air Force has delayed a key step toward allowing its North Dakota-based strategic bombers to conduct their nuclear mission, the Associated Press reported yesterday.  Officials decertified the 5th Bomber Wing at Minot Air Force Base last year after technicians mistakenly loaded six nuclear weapons onto a B-52 bomber that flew the munitions to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (see GSN, Nov. 8, 2007).

The bomber wing’s senior leadership was replaced last year, but a scheduled Jan. 23 inspection has been postponed to give officers more time to institute better nuclear weapon control policies, AP reported (Associated Press/Sioux City Journal, Jan. 6).

The delayed review, called a Nuclear Surety Inspection, is supposed to take place every 18 months, the Minot Daily News reported today.

The air base also houses 150 Minuteman 3 ICBMs which are set to begin their inspection Jan. 22, although the previous inspection was conducted in May 2005, according to the Daily News.

“The Nuclear Surety Inspection is where Air Force Space Command inspectors come out and give us our license to operate,” said top Minuteman officer Col. Marty Whelan, commander of the 91st Space Wing.  “They look at our ability to secure, maintain and operate our nuclear deterrence mission” (Eloise Ogden, Minot Daily News, Jan. 7).

In November, another wing commander expressed confidence that the nuclear weapon custody failures at Minot would be rectified by the bomber wing’s new commander, Col. Joel Westa.

“[Westa] is a superb officer.  I worked with him for a year.  He has a B-52 background,” said Gen. Douglas Owens, commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, where Westa served as vice wing commander.  “He has all of the leadership skill sets that will put him in great stead to address any issue that might arise at Minot,” Owens added, speaking to a civilian delegation at his base (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Jan. 7).

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