Whiteman cited over security of nuclear weapon components

Whiteman Air Force Base was cited along with four other Air Force installations for errors in securing nuclear weapon components following a July 2009 audit of eight U.S. bases.

The Air Force Audit Agency review of security and accountability of nuclear materials at the home of the 509th Bomb Wing’s B-2 Spirit bomber fleet — whose primary mission is nuclear deterrence and strike capability — found that while the base did not have issues with accounting for weapon components, the agency did find six instances relating to who had access to locked vaults where components are stored.

The audit found that four individuals who had been assigned to different duties on base still had card-swipe privileges even though they no longer worked in the area, and three of the four still possessed the vault’s combination. The audit also found that two individuals who had moved on to new assignments at other bases still had the vault combination.

A base spokesman, Senior Airman Stephen Linch, said the facility where the components are housed has a four-step entry system that includes requiring authorized personnel to electronically swipe ID cards as well as entering a coded combination to enter. Linch said at no time did unauthorized personnel have direct access to weapon components. Linch said swipe privileges and vault combinations were changed when auditors discovered the issue.

The report faulted the bomb wing’s Logistics Readiness Squadron for not following procedures that require lock combinations to be altered and badges deactivated when approved personnel are transferred or discharged.
Whiteman Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Jay Delancy emphasized the audit pointed to “no breach of security — this was an administrative breach.”

“These inspections help us ... ensure that we are taking the most careful treatment of our most precious assets. We treat the security of our weapons systems with the highest priority. We continue to invest a lot of resources into improving security at the base,” Delancy said.

Although Air Force policy is to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at Whiteman, the Associated Press reported Tuesday that defense analysts believe the base is thought to possess about two dozen fully assembled nuclear bombs.

Security and accountability for the Air Force’s nuclear arsenal came under scrutiny following a number of lapses including an August 2007 incident in which six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52 at Minot Air Force Base, N. D., and were flown to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where the weapons were left unsecured on the plane for some 36 hours, and the revelation in 2008 that nuclear fuses mislabeled as helicopter parts had been shipped by accident from a Utah air base to Taiwan.

Nuclear weapon security was a stated priority for Brig. Gen. Robert E. Wheeler when he assumed command of the bomb wing last March, and was the impetus behind the consolidation of all Air Force nuclear weapon capabilities under Global Strike Command in February.

“It is no secret, that the 509th Bomb Wing is home to the world’s most advanced bomber,” Wheeler said. “When you have those kinds of assets you need the world’s best security. Not only do we have that in spades — with the help of exercises and inspections, we are constantly improving it.”

 — The Associated Press contributed to this story