On the night of August 29th, 2007, Air Force loadmasters inadvertently loaded a B-52 bomber with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles for its flight from Minot Air Force Base (AFB), North Dakota to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. Then, in March 2008, officials at Hill AFB, Utah, uncovered a shipment by the Defense Logistics Agency, dating back to September 2006, of four Mk-12 nose-cone fuse assemblies mistakenly shipped to Taiwan. The Taiwanese had expected four UH-1 replacement battery packs, but were surprised to find the nose-cones instead. The nose-cones were just one package among 139 transfers since 2003 of excess classified parts from F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, to Hill AFB. Missile defense experts said the United States may have violated nuclear nonproliferation agreements and U.S. export laws with the shipment of these classified nuclear components. In May 2008, unhappy with the Air Force's response to these incidents, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates assigned a nuclear management task force headed by Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, the director of naval nuclear propulsion, to investigate the issue. Admiral Donald's report ultimately damned the senior leaders of the Air Force, concluding that the Minot-Barksdale and Taiwan incidents were symptomatic of a broader leadership and cultural problem in the Air Force. As a result, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Michael Moseley, and Secretary, Michael Wynne, resigned from their posts on June 5, 2008. Clambering to readjust its focus and regain the trust of the nation after these incidents, the Air Force has placed renewed attention on its nuclear mission. The appointment of General Norton Schwartz, a non-fighter pilot with extensive special operations experience, as the new CSAF has brought a new perspective to this challenge. General Schwartz has implemented a 'back to basics' approach, with the aim of fostering high standards and responsibility for the nuclear mission.


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