A safety investigation was begun sometime earlier. 25, more than three months after the mishap. The Accident Investigation Board did not begin its work until Aug. Pressed further, he said he could say no more and referred questions about this to the Pentagon, which did not immediately comment. The accident was going through the investigative process when” the review teams made their visits to ICBM bases, Sheets said. The experts were looking at a range of issues, including shortcomings in training, equipment, morale and leadership. John Sheets, spokesman for the Air Force Global Strike Command, which is responsible for the ICBM force, whether the May 17 accident had been reported to the Hagel-appointed review group. They reported their results to him June 2. The experts were operating on orders from then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who asked them to begin their review in March. nuclear force, an examination prompted in part by a series of AP stories on troubles within the force. More than a year later the three airmen were recertified and returned to duty.Īt the time of the accident, a group of nuclear weapons experts was nearing the end of a three-month independent review of the entire U.S. No one was injured and the Air Force said the accident posed no risk to public safety. The missile was taken offline and removed from its silo. The three airmen were immediately stripped of their certification to perform nuclear weapons duty. The service declined to explain the nature of the mishap, such as whether it caused physical damage, saying the information is too sensitive to be made public. The Air Force said that while three airmen were troubleshooting the missile, a “mishap” occurred, causing $1.8 million in damage to the missile. Warren Air Force Base at Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is controlled by launch officers of the 320th Missile Squadron and administered by the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. The silo, designated Juliet-07, is situated among wheat fields and wind turbines about 9 miles west of Peetz, Colorado. The accident happened May 17, 2014, at an underground launch silo containing a Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. nuclear force, the Air Force withheld from them the fact that it was simultaneously investigating damage to a nuclear-armed missile in its launch silo caused by three airmen. In the spring of 2014, as a team of experts was examining what ailed the U.S. The Minuteman 1 was replaced by the Minuteman 3 by 1971 which now form the foundation of the US nuclear defense strategy. FILE – In this June 25, 2014, file photo, a retired Minuteman 1 missile stands at the main entrance to Minot Air Force Base, N.D.
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