Minot Unit Faces Nuke-Handling Recertification

U.S. Air Force inspectors are scheduled in May to determine whether the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., is ready to handle nuclear weapons again after mistakenly sending a nuclear-armed B-52 bomber across the country last year, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Feb. 13).

Air Combat Command auditors are expected to spend about a week at Minot in mid-May, base officials said.  The recertification inspection was delayed in January to give airmen at the base more training time for handling nuclear weapons (see GSN, Jan. 7).

The Air Force reprimanded roughly 65 Minot airmen and reassigned wing commander Col. Bruce Emig after the unit in August accidentally transported six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Associated Press/In-Forum, Feb. 26).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.