Pentagon can't find hundreds of nuclear weapons components

You would think that in an age when American government officials are wringing their hands about nuclear weapons—Iran! Terror! Iran! Terror!—that the least we might expect of our government is to have a clue about its own nuclear weapons components. For instance, if we worry that a "rogue state" might distribute nuclear components to terrorists, maybe we should not be losing track of ours by the hundreds:

Now, in all likelihood, these parts aren't floating around the black market. But if we can accidentally ship weapons components to Taiwan, or lose track of several actual nuclear weapons, it would be nice to know the missing parts are still here. In other words, it would do much for public confidence to not lose the parts. To borrow an infamous concept, our inventory records should probably be reconciled before something blows up.

The current episode seems to be yet more evidence of what Admiral Kirkland Donald, who investigated the prior incidents, called, "the gradual erosion of nuclear standards". When Halliburton can (twice!) lose track of Americium suitable for a "dirty bomb", that's bad enough. But when the government admits it doesn't know where its parts for making a full-blown nuclear weapon are, what the hell is anyone supposed to think?
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Notes:

Sevasstopulo, Demetri. "Nuclear parts missing, says US report". FT.com. Updated June 20, 2008. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/06f80abc-3e63-11dd-b16d-0000779fd2ac.html

See Also:

Sirota, David J. "The Fox of War". Salon. March 30, 2004. http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/03/30/fox_news/index.html

Associated Press. "Lost Halliburton nuclear material found". USA Today. Updated February 10, 2005. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-02-10-halliburton-missing-material_x.htm

 

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The Clinton's sold them to Communist China for campaign contributions...:crazy:

Time Line of Clinton China Decisions: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/china/1998/h980618-prc8.htm

Clinton Gave China Chips for Nuclear War: http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/9/29/25139.shtml

 

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tiassa, maybe they went "missing" while being shiped past israil.

Seriously how dumb do you have to be to lose weaponry like this. I thought that NCIS eposode where the weapons were out of the system as soon as they went on the truck and not back into the system untill they arived at the new base was just a silly TV senaro. Maybe that judgement was wrong

 

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Just because some internal parts of a nuclear device are missing I don't see the need to get excited about it for a few reasons. Nuclear devices have MANY components in them besides the fissionable material that could explode. So if a washer or nut went missing that would be a part of a nuclear device then that would be reported as a missing part of a nuclear device even though it really isn't harmful.

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I agree with that. ^^^^^^^

Since a list of missing parts will surely not be forthcoming, we cannot know if it's nothing more than electrical connectors, panel covers, nuts, bolts, decals, etc. To just automatically assume it's active nuclear material is both premature and a bit of pure sensationalism.

To react as both the press and the OP did does not speak well of either of them.

 

Yeah, but ....

Is a nut or a washer something that might be classified as a "sensitive" component?

I mean, flash capacitors, at that scale, were enough to make the feds really nervous eighteen years ago.

I wouldn't worry if it was a screw, or even a gasket, but the idea that these are considered sensitive components does make me wonder. Of course, one of the things I wonder is if we, the people, will ever get to find out what is missing.

 

I wouldn't get to worried because many other countries have nuclear devices as well but they NEVER tell anyone if something is missing.

 

i would suggest that the more dangerious the componates the less likly you are to ever know. Pitty that, i would LOVE to see the senate estimates hearing if this was an australian case

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edit to add: Read-only i doubt that it was nuts and bolts however. Look at the quote, insted of saying this is nothing dangerious the pentigon offical goes into a deffinition of "lost". That made me more concerned than the headline because that sort of ducking and weaving usually occurs when the goverment (or departments) are really caught out about something

 

Yes, it's likely to be more than just nuts or washers - BUT it could also mena nothing more than highly advanced electronic components. Things like guidance system parts, ranging, timing, etc. that are probably most likely considered secret.

THAT'S' what I would really bet on as opposed to nuclear material. I would think by now that most adults would know that the press always puts the WORST possible spin on a story - even if they don't come out and say it, they certainly make it implied.

 

While that's true, it's also their NORMAL method of operation anyway!

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So, in itself, it doesn't mean much.

 

But I do belive that there are a dozen countries that already have the same or similar information about these nuclear devices as America does already.

 

Its easy money.

 

What's "easy money" mean?

 

Someone is always willing to buy it, its a sellers market.

 

I've never been asked to buy anything from anyone poretaining nuclear devices, have you? Is it that prevelant? I would think that with all of the information available throygh education that anyone with a good education could just design their own devices so why buy them?:shrug:

 

No kidding. The Clinton's have never experienced a hard days work in their lives. Like Palestinians on welfare.

 

Funny enough, but yes. Anything that can be found on the parts list for nuclear ordnance is sensitive by default, regardless of what it is. I have no idea what kind of parts were involved here, but I'm willing to bet it was something anonymous enough to get lost easily. Parts of the actual physics package? Not likely.

In any case, controlled material is controlled material, and it evidently was lost. That sucks anytime.

 

No, the respectable press has a long and well-documented record of downplaying and reassurance - to the point of coverup - in this kind of incident.

Haven't we had a story like this about once every couple of years or so for the past 20, 30, 40 years ?

 

Thanks yet again for the much needed context. As usual, the newsmedia didn't bother to provide that little nuance for its readers.

Althouh frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of SNAFU. The top guys of the Air Force have been recently fired by Gates for systematic failures. These people have been out of action for so many years they have grown complacent and inattentive. That's when mistakes happen.

 

Its a fake context:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032501309.html

Talking out of your ass does not constitute reality

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