A Pakistani view of U.S. nuclear weapons

[kimo]

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, JANUARY 25--At a press conference in Islamabad today, Pakistani Brig. Gen. Atta M. Iqhman expressed concern about U.S. procedures for handling nuclear weapons. Iqhman, who oversees the safety and security of the Pakistani nuclear force, said that U.S. protocols for storing and handling nuclear weapons are inadequate. "In Pakistan, we store nuclear warheads separately from their delivery systems, and a nuclear warhead can only be activated if three separate officers agree," Iqhman said. "In the United States, almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons still sit atop missiles, on hair-trigger alert, and it only takes two launch-control officers to activate a nuclear weapon. The U.S. government has persistently ignored arms control experts around the world who have said they should at least de-alert their weapons."..


http://www.thebulletin.org/columns/hugh-gusterson/20080205.html

 

[Mini-Me]

Wow, talk about an embarrassment...!

 

[CJLauderdale4]

9/11!!!
WAR ON TERROR!!
ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS!!!

AAAAAAGHGHGHGGHGHGHG!!!

Don't you remember?? We need to be ready to launch "tactical nuclear weapons" at any moment!!

What's wrong with you people!!

[\sarcasm]

 

[HazardPerry]

The article is satire, but some parts of it are true. Atta M. Iqman .... Atomic Man? lol. The other names are equally funny.

Still a good article.

 

[DaneKirk]

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, JANUARY 25--At a press conference in Islamabad today, Pakistani Brig. Gen. Atta M. Iqhman expressed concern about U.S. procedures for handling nuclear weapons. Iqhman, who oversees the safety and security of the Pakistani nuclear force, said that U.S. protocols for storing and handling nuclear weapons are inadequate. "In Pakistan, we store nuclear warheads separately from their delivery systems, and a nuclear warhead can only be activated if three separate officers agree," Iqhman said. "In the United States, almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons still sit atop missiles, on hair-trigger alert, and it only takes two launch-control officers to activate a nuclear weapon. The U.S. government has persistently ignored arms control experts around the world who have said they should at least de-alert their weapons."..


http://www.thebulletin.org/columns/hugh-gusterson/20080205.html

BS. I am deployed to a base in the middle east that has nukes and they just got finished with an inspection. I can tell you first hand from seeing the type of protection we have here that the nukes are locked down tight as can be. There are countless procedures and authorizations that have to be followed and given that protect against some rogue entity launching one. By the way most of our warheads are separate from the delivery systems, I would elaborate but I can't. Funny how once again we have people who know nothing of our procedures pretending they are a credible source. Leave this stuff to those of us who actually know what we are talking about. The Pakistanis don't know shit about how we operate. Just because we cooperate with them on some levels does not mean they know the intimate details of our most weapon systems.

 

[HazardPerry]

BS. I am deployed to a base in the middle east that has nukes

This is very interesting, I wasn't aware that we were had nuclear armament deployed in the Middle East. Not that you've spilled a big secret, I just did not know that.

 

[DaneKirk]

What makes you so interested? You did not know we have those weapons in the region?

 

[HazardPerry]

What makes you so interested? You did not know we have those weapons in the region?

*shrugs* not really. I guess I never really looked it up though, either. I don't know what they would possibly need them for, but I guess every contingency has to be planned for. I have lots of other questions but I know I shouldn't bother you with them. :o

I was just always taken to believing that Israel alone possessed a nuclear force in the region. A strange assumption in hindsight, given our interests and infrastructure there, but I don't think I've ever heard a real acknowledgment about this from our administration. They always talk about a nuclear-free Middle East. Interesting is all.

 

[DaneKirk]

*shrugs* not really. I guess I never really looked it up though, either. I don't know what they would possibly need them for, but I guess every contingency has to be planned for. I have lots of other questions but I know I shouldn't bother you with them. :o

I was just always taken to believing that Israel alone possessed a nuclear force in the region. A strange assumption in hindsight, given our interests and infrastructure there, but I don't think I've ever heard a real acknowledgment about this from our administration. They always talk about a nuclear-free Middle East. Interesting is all.

That depends on what you ask, it is actually not classified where I am. We have had nukes here since the cold war started. You can find it on the internet, just think of some countries that we have bases in and I am sure it will come to you, this base was in the news a few months ago when the Armenian resolution was a big deal. (HINT HINT)

 

[HazardPerry]

That depends on what you ask, it is actually not classified where I am. We have had nukes here since the cold war started. You can find it on the internet, just think of some countries that we have bases in and I am sure it will come to you, this base was in the news a few months ago when the Armenian resolution was a big deal. (HINT HINT)

Aha I was thinking Turkey in my head, since that would be the obvious place to put nuclear armament during the cold war (when I would assume it was initially deployed). Yes you are correct the information is readily available now that I Google it. Fascinating, wasn't the Cuban Missile Crisis started in part because Khrushchev was livid at the thought of US nuclear missiles on Russia's doorstep? I think we removed them in secret once the Soviets shipped all the nasties out of Cuba.

Guess we put them back! One part of me hates the thought of nuclear weapons, but another part is geeked out. If I were a US commander and I was given the choice of any place on Earth to place some strategic armament like that (assuming America itself was already defended), I would choose Turkey! No wonder Putin isn't too happy at the thought of missile shields in the Ukraine.

 

[DaneKirk]

Aha I was thinking Turkey in my head, since that would be the obvious place to put nuclear armament during the cold war (when I would assume it was initially deployed). Yes you are correct the information is readily available now that I Google it. Fascinating, wasn't the Cuban Missile Crisis started in part because Khrushchev was livid at the thought of US nuclear missiles on Russia's doorstep? I think we removed them in secret once the Soviets shipped all the nasties out of Cuba.

Guess we put them back! One part of me hates the thought of nuclear weapons, but another part is geeked out. If I were a US commander and I was given the choice of any place on Earth to place some strategic armament like that (assuming America itself was already defended), I would choose Turkey! No wonder Putin isn't too happy at the thought of missile shields in the Ukraine.

You said it not me.... you are correct. And yes this was from what I know the base in question that people always refer to when talking about the cuban missile crisis. And I feel safer on this base than I would back home at McChord AFB. The Turks and us put together don't mess around with security. So anyone who says that they are not protected is full of it. Just because there was that fluke back in the states with the B-52 does not mean we have 100% control of our weapons. I remember hearing about the ass chewing and commanders that lost their jobs after that, the Air Force does not tolerate such things one bit.

 

[HazardPerry]

I remember hearing about the ass chewing and commanders that lost their jobs after that, the Air Force does not tolerate such things one bit.

I can only imagine. To be a fly on the wall in that room. :o

I do trust you; the shitstorm that would inevitably ensue if something like that were to happen in Turkey of all places, I'll bet you guys take extra care out there.

 

[DaneKirk]

I can only imagine. To be a fly on the wall in that room. :o

I do trust you; the shitstorm that would inevitably ensue if something like that were to happen in Turkey of all places, I'll bet you guys take extra care out there.

Well to be honest I do not work directly with the nuke guys here, I am deployed here to fly cargo into the shit hole to the southeast. But I am qualified to load those nukes if there was an emergency need to get them out of here. I just had to make sure that people did not read this post and think our nukes are just sitting out in the open for anyone to take or that anyone can push a button and launch them, it is simply not true. Hell, in my job they freak out if we forget to put a comma in our boldface procedures when we write them out, even though it makes no difference. So you can only imagine what they would do in more extreme cases.

 

[kimo]

Thanks for your opinions guys. Discussing that "award winner" brings so incompetent story based basicly on nothing.

 

[New Governor Of Alaska]

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, JANUARY 25--At a press conference in Islamabad today, Pakistani Brig. Gen. Atta M. Iqhman expressed concern about U.S. procedures for handling nuclear weapons. Iqhman, who oversees the safety and security of the Pakistani nuclear force, said that U.S. protocols for storing and handling nuclear weapons are inadequate. "In Pakistan, we store nuclear warheads separately from their delivery systems, and a nuclear warhead can only be activated if three separate officers agree," Iqhman said. "In the United States, almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons still sit atop missiles, on hair-trigger alert, and it only takes two launch-control officers to activate a nuclear weapon. The U.S. government has persistently ignored arms control experts around the world who have said they should at least de-alert their weapons."..


http://www.thebulletin.org/columns/hugh-gusterson/20080205.html

Wow!!!
So who is inspecting American weapons of mass destruction???!! Nobody?