America's Rusting Nuclear Arsenal: Behind The Blast Doors At USAF Bases That Reveal Aging Weapons And Low Morale Of Missile Crews -- Daily Mail/AP
* The Air Force asserts with pride that the missile system is safe and secure
* It also admits to time-worn command posts and corroded launch silos
* The helicopters used to protect nuclear bases date back to the Vietnam war
* Low morale in the ICBM force has prompted worry at the highest levels
The nuclear missiles hidden in plain view across the prairies of northwest North Dakota reveal one reason why trouble keeps finding the nuclear Air Force. The 'Big Sticks,' as some call the 60-foot (18-meter)-tall Minuteman 3 missiles, are just plain old.
The Air Force asserts with pride that the missile system, more than 40 years old and designed during the Cold War to counter the now-defunct Soviet Union, is safe and secure. None has ever been used in combat or launched accidentally.
But it also admits to fraying at the edges: time-worn command posts, corroded launch silos, failing support equipment and an emergency-response helicopter fleet so antiquated that a replacement was deemed 'critical' years ago.
Read more ....
Update: A look at the Minuteman missile, mission, future -- AP
My Comment: This report is a sobering look at how neglect has degraded America's nuclear forces.
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