Reply #41: They weren't supposed to be moved.

[TheWraith]

Short version: Most of our nuclear-tipped cruise missiles are being decommissioned. Due to almost all military resources being devoted to keeping Iraq running, that job is behind schedule. Being backed up, and in violation of proceedures, the missiles which still had live nukes inside them were being stored in the same bunker with the missiles which had had their warheads removed already.

The loading crew charged with getting the things onto the B-52 heading for Barksdale grabs six dead missiles and six live ones, thinking they've got 12 dead ones. The officers in charge of the ground crew fail to make the mandated full checks, and the error isn't caught.

The B-52 makes the flight to Barksdale, and sits there on the tarmac until the crew there comes out to remove the missiles, and on examination realizes that six of them are still nuclear-armed.