No Margin of Error with Nuclear Weapons

Eric Schlosser, better known for his book Fast Food Nation, has a new book out - Command and Control Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety.  One review called Schlosser's new book "Vivid and unsettling... An exhaustive, unnerving examination of the illusory safety of atomic arms."  And "unnerving" it should be.  Even since the publication of Schosser's book, we continue to hear of problems with nuclear weapons safety.

Much of the risk surrounding nuclear weapons comes down to human error, and as they say, "to err is human."  Whether in the design, production, maintenance or deployment of nuclear weapons, there are countless points at which human error can come into play. The bottom line is - with weapons that, if ever accidentally detonated, would have horrific consequences - there is little (if any) acceptable margin of error.

The following article in Global Security Newswire highlights the most recent failure of those charged with the stewardship of one-third of the nation's Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).  The commander of Air Force Global Strike Command downplayed this most recent failure and "said that the number of problems at the nuclear wings has decreased since his command was established in 2009." Don't we all feel safer now???

P.S. - Eric Schlosser will be at the Central Seattle Public Library on October 1st to talk about his new book.  Click here for all the information.

Click here to read a recent (September 16th) interview with Schlosser by Global Security Newswire.

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In New Setback, Air Force Missile Team Fails Security Drill
Global Security Newswire, August 14, 2013

An Air Force unit that oversees one-third of America's land-based nuclear missiles failed a safety and security inspection, constituting the second serious Minuteman 3 mission readiness problem this year, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Lt. General James M. Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command -- an organization created in 2009 as part of a broad effort to alleviate problems in the service's nuclear mission -- told AP that a team of "relatively low-ranking" airmen stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., "did not demonstrate the right procedures" in a single exercise. The drill was part of a more expansive inspection that started last week and ended on Tuesday.

Technicians remove the upper section of an ICBM
at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
Missile personnel at the site have failed a
safety and security check that concluded
on Tuesday, a senior Air Force officer said
(AP Photo/U.S. Air Force).

A written statement posted on the command's website said the 341st Missile Wing received an unsatisfactory rating after making "tactical level errors -- not related to command and control of nuclear weapons -- during one of several exercises conducted during the inspection. This failure resulted in the entire inspection being rated 'unsatisfactory.'"

The wing is one of three that control 450 Minuteman 3 ICBMs, according to AP.

The Air Force is "looking into" the possibility of disciplinary action against the 341st, Kowalski told the wire service. He noted, though, that the wing did well overall, scoring excellent or outstanding in most of the 13 areas being tested.

In March, the deputy commander of the 91st Missile Wing -- stationed at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. -- complained of "rot" in the group after an inspection gave its missile crews the equivalent of a "D" grade on Minuteman 3 launch operations, according to AP. Although the 91st passed that inspection, the failed simulation of ICBM launch operations resulted in the temporary removal and retraining of 19 personnel.

In 2008, the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot failed the nuclear security component of an inspection.

Eric Fanning, acting secretary of the Air Force, will travel to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Wednesday to meet with Kowalski and discuss specifics of the Malmstrom case, as well as aspects of the overall nuclear mission, top Air Force spokesman Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick told AP. The trip was planned prior to the latest incident.

The Air Force nuclear mission has hit a number of bumps since 2008, including a B-52 bomber flight over several U.S. states during which the crew was unaware that actual weapons were onboard.

In an interview on Tuesday, Kowalski said that the number of problems at the nuclear wings has decreased since his command was established in 2009, AP reported. The occasional failures do not point to a wide-reaching failure to follow safety and security protocols, the general asserted.

Source URL: http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/safety-and-security-inspection-failed-air-force-nuclear-unit/

Eliminate Land Based Missiles Now!

 

STOP PROVOCATIVE TESTING OF

MINUTEMAN III MISSILES

A rehearsal for the apocalypse.

TEST FLIGHT SCHEDULED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2012

FROM VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE

Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are on 24/7 hair-trigger alert in silos in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. They carry thermonuclear warheads at least eight times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

THESE LAND-BASED NUCLEAR MISSILES SHOULD BE DECOMMISSIONED IMMEDIATELY

• They are located in fixed silos, making them easy targets for attack;
• There is an incentive to “use them first or lose them”;
• The high-alert status of these weapons could lead to accidental nuclear war;
• The U.S. government consistently criticizes other countries for conducting missile tests;
• These tests are dangerous to the target country, the Marshall Islands;
• Testing these missiles encourages other countries to develop and test their own missiles and nuclear weapons.

TAKE ACTION!

Join us at www.wagingpeace.org/goto/vandenberg to ask the president to stop these provocative nuclear missile tests and to decommission these missiles immediately.

Protest at 12 noon on Tuesday, November 13 at the corner of State & Anapamu in Santa Barbara.

The Air Force tests missiles under the cover of darkness.

We are protesting them in the light of day.

Let’s stop this danger to humanity.

 

 

www.wagingpeace.org – (805) 965-3443



Charges against Vandenberg 15 dropped!!!

Contact: John Amidon jajaja1234@aol.com 518-312-6442; Louie Vitale lvitale33@yahoo.com 415-823-6665; Leah Bolger LeahBolger@comcast.net 541-207-7761; David Swanson, david@davidswanson.com 202-329-7847.

Charges Dismissed Against Nuclear Missile Launch Protesters

Charges were dismissed on Wednesday in federal court in Santa Barbara, Calif., against fifteen people, including four members of Veterans For Peace, who were scheduled to face trial on Wednesday as a result of their nonviolent protest of nuclear warheads at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The 15 had been arrested on February 25^th for protesting the launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Video: http://youtu.be/sGYVee9yW9Y

The Veterans For Peace facing trial were Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg of Berkeley, Calif.; Fr. Louie Vitale of Oakland, Calif. and Las Vegas, Nev.; John Amidon of Albany, N.Y.; and Mark Kelso of Las Vegas, Nev.

The district attorney moved to dismiss all charges. Two of the defendants, John Amidon and Toby Blome, wanting to raise their concerns about the Minuteman III missiles in court, offered motion not to dismiss. The judge sided with the district attorney.

Some of the same people will be among those protesting again on November 13^th when another missile test is scheduled:
http://www.facebook.com/events/464316103593122

McGregor Eddy, one of the defendants, called the dismissal a victory. "The military," she said, "wants to avoid drawing attention to thermonuclear warheads that serve no purpose and cost a great deal of money. Many young people don't even know about these nuclear weapons. When we say 'nukes' they think of nuclear power."

February 25th nonviolent direct action at Vandenberg

Fr. Louie Vitale agreed, calling the dismissal "a great victory." Vitale added, "I've been on trial here several times and always lost. This was a victory. And we'll be there in November to protest the next launch."

Vitale said that the public in Santa Barbara had learned a great deal through the work of the coalition formed around this protest and near-trial, including with the help of David Krieger and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

At 7 p.m. PT on Tuesday, October 16th, a free public event called "Putting U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policies on Trial: A Forum with the Vandenberg 15" was held at Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, Calif. Speakers included Daniel Ellsberg, Fr. Louie Vitale, Cindy Sheehan, and David Krieger. The event was cosponsored by Code Pink, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Nevada Desert Experience, Progressive Democrats of Santa Barbara, Veterans for Peace, Western States Legal Foundation, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Santa Barbara).
"We were protesting a rehearsal of a holocaust," said Ellsberg. "Every minuteman missile is a portable Auschwitz." Video of Ellsberg: http://youtu.be/E-s0_JI8Dp4

"We have 450 land-based Minuteman III nuclear missiles on high alert," said Amidon. Despite hundreds of near-disasters due to human and mechanical mistakes over the years, these nuclear-armed missiles could be sent by a U.S. president in 13 minutes or less. Thirteen minutes, with the very real possibility that false information, an electronic glitch or bad signal, or an error in human judgment, would bring the world as we know it to an end. Minuteman III missiles would not, and nothing can, prevent retaliation. Even without retaliation, their unilateral use would ruin the earth's atmosphere -- all over the earth. The missiles' only function is to kill others in a process that kills us too."

"An easy immediate step toward sanity," Amidon continued, "would be to de-alert the missiles so that 24 to 72 hours would be needed to launch. This would increase our security by reducing the likelihood of an accidental or unauthorized launch. Those intent on achieving nuclear doomsday could rest assured that U.S. submarines and bombers would remain able to complete that job many times over.

"A second needed and obvious step that would also work wonders for our federal budget would be to decommission these missiles. We are also calling for a cancellation of the November 14, 2012, missile (thermonuclear warhead delivery systems) test at Vandenberg Air Force Base. This will save between $20 to $30 million for this one launch."
RootsAction.org has set up an online action page through which people can email the government on this topic:
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6741

Veterans For Peace was founded in 1985 and has approximately 5,000 members in 150 chapters located in every U.S. state and several countries. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the United Nations, and is the only national veterans' organization calling for the abolishment of war.

Court may drop charges against Vandenberg 15

I have just learned that the government has requested the Court to dismiss all charges against the Vandenberg 15 related to their February 25th protest at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Tomorrow morning, Monday, October 17th, the Vandenberg 15 were scheduled to stand trial in Federal court at 1415 State Street, Santa Barbara, Calif.

The fifteen nuclear resisters were arrested on February 25^th for protesting the test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Video: http://youtu.be/sGYVee9yW9Y

The defendants will hold a press conference outside of the United States Bankruptcy Court (1415 State Street, Santa Barbara) at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, October 17. They will discuss their views on the government’s action and what comes next in the movement to stop the testing of thermonuclear warhead delivery vehicles and eliminate land-based missiles.

While the fifteen resister's intention in going to court was to put the U.S. Government's nuclear weapons policies on trial.

As David Krieger, one of the Vandenberg 15, has stated, "Current US nuclear weapons policy is illegal, immoral and runs a high risk of resulting in nuclear catastrophe. We cannot wait until there is a nuclear war before we act to rid the world of these weapons of mass annihilation. The US should be the leader in this effort, rather than an obstacle to its realization. It is up to the court of public opinion to assure that the US asserts this leadership. The time to act is now." (Read Putting U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policies on Trial in the Court of Public Opinion)

"We were protesting a rehearsal of a holocaust," said defendant Daniel Ellsberg. "Every minuteman missile is a portable Auschwitz." Video of Ellsberg: http://youtu.be/E-s0_JI8Dp4

Defendant John Amidon said, "We have 450 land-based Minuteman III nuclear missiles on high alert. Despite hundreds of near-disasters due to human and mechanical mistakes over the years, these nuclear-armed missiles could be sent by a U.S. president in 13 minutes or less. Thirteen minutes, with the very real possibility that false information, an electronic glitch or bad signal, or an error in human judgment, would bring the world as we know it to an end. Minuteman III missiles would not, and nothing can, prevent retaliation. Even without retaliation, their unilateral use would ruin the earth's atmosphere -- all over the earth. The missiles' only function is to kill others in a process that kills us too."

The 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads and deployed in hardened silos are an archaic, first strike, Cold War weapons system.  It is time to retire these dinosaurs and re-evaluate (and change) our nation's nuclear weapons policies.  The Vandenberg 15 hope to make this case at very least in the court of public opinion.

More to come following tomorrow's press conference!

Occupy Vandenberg on May 16th! Stop the tests!

After months of planning an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is readied for test launch.  Air force aircraft and navy vessels work to clear the areas where the jettisoned stages of the missile will come down, as well as to keep a safety zone should the missile fail during one of its launch phases.  Countdown begins...

There has been no international outcry over the planned test launch of the missile that, under normal operational deployment would carry a thermonuclear warhead.  There is no discussion anywhere by the news media about the test and its implications regarding international efforts to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons and move the world towards disarmament.

What we see...

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... With a monstrous roar, and leaving a trail of smoke, the missile launches out of its silo using its first stage rocket motor. About 60 seconds after launch the first stage burns out and falls away, and the second stage motor ignites.  In another 60 seconds the third stage motor ignites and pulls away, sending the rocket out of the atmosphere.  In about another 60 seconds the Post Boost Vehicle separates from the third stage and maneuvers to get ready to deploy the reentry vehicle or RV.

Next the RV separates from the Post Boost Vehicle and re-enters the atmosphere, making its way to its target. The euphemistically named RVs are what contain the thermonuclear warheads that are capable of incinerating entire cities (and beyond) and instantly killing (at least) hundreds of thousands of people and causing untold suffering (both short and long term) to the survivors. 

Since this is a test the RV is loaded with a "dummy" warhead as it hurtles toward the test target.  In a matter of just minutes from launch the dummy warhead lands either on or near an isolated atoll 4200 miles from the launch site, right on target. 

And that's all folks.  No fanfare, no big news stories.  Just the usual news release from the U.S. government.  The launch just described occurred on February 27, 2012.  The Minuteman III ICBM was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and landed at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  The Air Force regularly conducts such test launches, as does the Navy for its Trident II (D5) submarine launched ballistic missiles (135 successful Trident test launches since 1989).

What we'd like to see!

And now the Air Force just announced another test shot from Vandenberg scheduled for May 16th.  I suppose that besides making weapons manufacturers very rich - each Trident missile costs roughly $70 million,while the Minuteman III is $7 million - the government wants to ensure that if the President orders the launch of these missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads, they will work as designed.  Now that's a comforting thought.

One can imagine how long it will take North Korea to get to the point at which it can launch one of its own missiles and expect it to reach its target with any reliability at all.  The U.S., on the other hand, has been conducting test launches of ballistic missiles for decades.  Based on the percentage of successful tests of its currently deployed ballistic missiles, there should be little need for such regular testing.  When doomsday comes, I have no doubt that the missiles will launch when the buttons are pushed.

On the eve of Tax Day here in the U.S. perhaps this is a good time to ask where our hard-earned money would be better spent - testing weapons designed to kill millions of people or supporting programs that support life.  After spending trillions on nuclear weapons, isn't it time to say ENOUGH?

No more test launches.  No new uranium facilities.  No new plutonium pit facilities.  No new (Kansas City) bomb plant.  No new ballistic missile submarines.  No new nukes!!!!!!!!!!!! Otherwise, there will be no future.

Occupy Vandenberg on May 16th!!!  No more nuclear weapon systems testing!!!

Oppose the U.S. Government's Nuclear Missile Test Launch

On February 24th, the first Friday of Lent, there will be global peace protests surrounding the U.S. government's scheduled launch - one of the government's countless test launches - of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). These ICBM's, which are scattered around the U.S. in their underground silos armed with nuclear warheads, are ready to launch on warning by the President's command. These missile test launches serve only to increase tensions and counter any real efforts at disarmament and non-proliferation.

One of the protest sites will be Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, where the launch will occur. Please check out MacGregor Eddy's Blog at http://vandenbergprotest-macgregor.blogspot.com/ to learn more. This is also the place to watch for up-to-date information on the launch, along with information on other protest sites. 

Minuteman III launch from Vandenberg

Fr. Louis Vitale will be at Vandenberg for the evening protest, and on February 23rd Daniel Ellsberg will join David Krieger, of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, in Santa Barbara for a press conference and presentation.

If you can participate and are coming from the San Francisco Bay Area there is a group going down to Vandenberg on the 24th on the Green Tortoise charter bus (leaving from West Oakland BART station). It will also stop at San Jose and Salinas. Catholic Workers can ride free, and anyone who can't afford the charter fare can get a subsidy to ride the bus. Check with MacGregor if you are interested in participating and/or have questions at macgregoreddy@gmail.com, or 831-206-5043.

Related to the Vandenberg test launch - PLEASE sign the petition at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation calling on President Obama to cancel this test launch and fullfill our nation's obligations to move toward the abolition of nuclear weapons.  You can help this petition exceed its goal of 5000 signatures by sharing this email or the link to the petition: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6357/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9008. Share it on Facebook, Google+, or anyplace else you can think of.