Pentagon says it mistakenly sent missile parts to Taiwan.

[sabra]

Source: CNN

Pentagon says it mistakenly sent missile parts to Taiwan.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/

---

more:

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has announced that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

It said the items have been returned to the United States.

At a news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Tuesday that the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ballistic missiles. He also said it was sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan, he said.



http://www.startribune.com/nation/16980801.html

[maddezmom]

1. Just heard that, I guess they've already picked them up

wonder how many other mis-shipments they've had :eyes:

[maddezmom]

3. here's a link

Associated Press

Last update: March 25, 2008 - 9:40 AM

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has announced that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

It said the items have been returned to the United States.

At a news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Tuesday that the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ballistic missiles. He also said it was sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan, he said.



http://www.startribune.com/nation/16980801.html

[LakeSamish706]

2. The magic word "Mistakenly" hmmm I some how doubt that. n/t

[KansDem]

4. Yeah, just like the nuclear warheads "mistakenly" flown across the US.

Commander disciplined for nuclear mistake

By Michael Hoffman, Military Times

The Air Force continued handing out disciplinary actions in response to the six nuclear warheads mistakenly flown on a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30. The squadron commander in charge of Minot's munitions crews was relieved of all duties pending the investigation.

It was originally reported that five nuclear warheads were transported, but officers who tipped Military Times to the incident who have asked to remain anonymous since they are not authorized to discuss the incident, have since updated that number to six.

Air Force and defense officials would not confirm the missiles were armed with nuclear warheads Wednesday, citing longstanding policy, but they did confirm the Air Force was "investigating an error made last Thursday during the transfer of munitions" from Minot to Barksdale.

The original plan was to transport non-nuclear Advanced Cruise Missiles, mounted on the wings of a B-52, to Barksdale as part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 of the ACMs. It was not discovered that the six missiles had nuclear warheads until the plane landed at Barksdale, leaving the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3 and one-half hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.

President Bush was immediately alerted to the mistake and the Air Force launched a service-wide investigation headed by Maj. Gen. Douglas Raaberg, director of Air and Space Operations at Air Combat Command Headquarters, said Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas.

--more--
USA Today

Awful lot of "mistakes" going on...

edited for spelling

[DemoTex]

11. Bingo! It ain't nothing but Cheney rattling his saber.

Iran and China loom large in Cheney's bomb-sight, and he is letting them know it. Subtlety is not in the Cheney repertoire.

[TheWraith]

18. Oh please. Turn down the paranoia. nt

[havocmom]

22. Oh please, take off the rosey glasses

The gentleman upthread has a very valid supposition. After all, cheney did get a lot of people to lie us into a war which has been most profitable for a corporation he used to head and still makes money from.

[Supersedeas]

21. Warheads Fuses Sibel Edmonds -- nothing to see here: whose side are they on??

[Blue Diadem]

5. video here:

http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream3

Pentagon on ICBM trigger mishap
The USAF announces that it accidentally shipped four electrical triggers for ICBMs to Taiwan. An investigation follows.

edited to add that this was a live stream video.

[underpants]

6. BREAKING NEWS: Pentagon says it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile parts to Taiwan

Source: MSNBC

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-missile-parts-pentagon-taiwan-story,0,3604999.story

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has announced that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

It said the items have been returned to the United States.

At a news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said Tuesday that the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ballistic missiles. He also said it was sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan, he said.

Wynne said the matter is under investigation.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23788065

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Oops: U.S. ships missile parts to Taiwan
Batteries were ordered; ICBM nose cones were sent
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080325/NEWS03/536501345

[tridim]

7. Did they ever find the 6th warhead they "lost" last year?

[TheWraith]

19. There was no lost warhead. nt

[orleans]

23. yes because

batteries and ICBM nose cones look so similar

who can tell the difference?

:shrug:

[MilesColtrane]

31. They are only "non-nuclear" if you don't attach nukes to the missiles.

[underpants]

8. Ooops I duped you okay I didn't "mistakenly" send missile parts I just duped you

:grr:

[maddezmom]

9. They were shipped in 2005 and sitting in storage until Taiwan called the Pentagon

and asked them to pick them up last week

here is a link:

Pentagon admits mistaken arms shipment By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
15 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear components for an intercontinental ballistic missile to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

It said the items have been returned to the United States.

At a Pentagon news conference, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said the misshipped items were four nose cone assemblies for ICBMs. He also said they were delivered to Taiwan in March 2005 and had been sent instead of helicopter batteries that had been ordered by Taiwan.

"This could not be construed as being nuclear material. It is a component for the fuse in the nosecone for a nuclear system," Wynne said. "We are very concerned about it."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080325/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/missile_mistake_3

[Blue Diadem]

10. And the quarterly inventory checks never found

they were missing.

Amazing..

[Solly Mack]

12. I know I always misplace my missile parts

fffffffffffffffffff

[Omaha Steve]

13. Oops Pentagon Admits Missile Mix-up

Source: CBS/AP

The Defense Department announced on Tuesday that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear components for an intercontinental ballistic missile to Taiwan but has recovered them and launched an investigation.

At the Pentagon, CBS News National Security correspondent David Martin reports that although the U.S. is constantly wringing its hands about the nightmare scenario of loose nukes falling into the hands of terrorists, this was another egregious case of the Pentagon not being able to keep track of its own nuclear weapons.

In this case it was a fuse for a nuclear warhead -- the electrical component which starts the firing sequence for a nuclear explosion. Four of them were accidentally shipped to Taiwan in response to a request to buy batteries for helicopters.

The four fuses had been in storage at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and were shipped to Tawain in 2006. Two years elapsed before the U.S. learned of the mistake -- and then only because the Taiwanese asked why they never received the helicopter batteries.



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/25/national/main3966059.shtml

[daleo]

14. "Whoops. Sorry about that, Chief"

They're using the old Maxwell Smart excuse.

[newburgh]

15. Oops, and we can't even take a bottle of body lotion on a plane!

This country's security is a joke. Unfortunately the joke's on us taxpayers who are footing the bill for all these incompetent hogs.

[whistle]

16. Which parts, the atomic warheads and detonators?

:wtf:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. The guy at the FedEx counter entered the numbers wrong

:eyes:

[gasperc]

20. and Taiwan mistakenly sent US government Billion dollar payment

oooops, our bad

[ashling]

24. U.S. says missile parts mistakenly sent to Taiwan

Source: CNN


Four nose-cone fuses for intercontinental ballistic missiles were shipped instead of the helicopter batteries that Taiwan had requested, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said.

The fuses were shipped to Taiwan in fall 2006 and kept in a warehouse there. The Taiwanese military informed the United States last week about their presence on the island.

"There are no nuclear or fissile materials associated with these items," Wynne said. "The United States is making all appropriate notifications in the spirit of candor and openness in an effort to avoid any misunderstanding." An investigation is under way, he added.

Ryan Henry, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said, "In an organization as large as DOD, the largest and most complex in the world, there will be mistakes. But they cannot be tolerated in the arena in strategic systems, whether they are nuclear or only associated equipment, as was in this case."

****

Officials said China, which considers Taiwan to be a renegade province, has been notified about the mistake.

The Chinese government did not immediately issue a response to the news.

more

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/taiwan.missiles/index.html

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At this moment I am speechless

[IDoNotAgree]

25. "accident" or subtle warning that taiwan will not be the next tibet?

unlikely accident

[crim son]

26. The only thing that surprises me here

is that the U.S. is acting in a spirit of candor and openness.

[mbperrin]

27. Heh heh nothing to worry about, folks! All under control.

(Offstage) Now where the FUCK are those WARHEADS!!!???

[unkachuck]

29. what, me worry?....

"The Chinese government did not immediately issue a response to the news."

....the Chinese will not be viewing this as a mistake by the Pentagon, rather, a provocation....

....I believe, if the Chinese government (rightly or wrongly) decides we're arming Taiwan with nuclear weapons, they'll invade immediately....Olympics be damned....

....the fact the Chinese have not responded, is worrisome....

[chixydix]

28. We were supposed to prick his boil?

sorry...

[struggle4progress]

30. It's the familiar "I'm the baboon with the biggest baddest butt" grunt