Gates goes nuclear over mistakes

You will find below the NGAUS news of what happened and is still happening to the Air Force Officer Chief of Staff and a civillian. It appears to have been going on for a couple years at least. I wonder if Rummy made the arrangements for Taiwan to receive the nuclear materials? After all, we are supposed to be protecting from China with some Aegis.

Mishandling Nuclear Arsenal Costly for Air Force Leadership Duo.

The top military and civilian officials in the Air Force were forced to resign Thursday after an investigation conducted by the Pentagon found a “chain of failures” in the way the service safeguarded the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he removed Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the chief of staff, because “the focus of the Air Force leadership has drifted with respect to perhaps its most sensitive mission.” In recent months, the Air Force has inadvertently flown nuclear warheads over the United States and mistakenly transferred secret nuclear-related materials to Taiwan, a move that went unnoticed for two years. There have also been questions about a contract for a Thunderbirds show given to a retired four-star general.

Other issues, too, such as the funding for the F-22 fighter jet and the service’s role in the Iraq war, have caused friction between the Air Force and the Pentagon leadership. Gates indicated a “substantial number” of civilian officials, generals and colonels would be subject to either dismissal or reprimand. Names for a replacement for Moseley, who plans to retire, have already surfaced, according to a report in the Washington Post. They include Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, head of the U.S. Strategic Command; Gen. John D.W. Corley, chief of the Air Force Combat Command; and Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, head of the U.S. Transportation Command. One report indicated Mike Donley, the Pentagon’s director of administration and management, will be considered as a replacement for Wynne.