Accountability, Gates Style

• Gates ousted the Air Force's top military and civilian leaders (Secretary of the Air Force, Michaels Wynne and Chief of Staff ) Thursday, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after nuclear missile warhead fuses were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan.

This is political accountability, which matters. I point out the political-ness of it because neither of these guys was directly responsible for the shipment. But it is very important to send the signal to the Pentagon leadership that some gaffes are too much to just explain away and talk about "reform efforts". It probably didn't help that the Air Force flew nukes over the central US last year as bombers flew from Minot, Air Force Base with active nukes instead of the dummy nukes they are supposed to use in training.

• ..officials played down as a 'mix-up' the August 29 incident in which a crew at Minot Air Force Base mounted six missiles containing dummy warheads and six carrying nuclear warheads onto a B-52 bomber from a single hangar. .... In the aftermath of the Minot incident, four Air Force colonels were relieved of command, and 65 low-ranking officers and airmen were 'disciplined'.

It's only fitting that the top take its' hits, too.

• The report, by Navy Adm. Kirkland Donald, director of naval nuclear propulsion, revealed widespread problems and convinced Defense Secretary Robert Gates that senior officials must be held accountable. Moseley resigned in response.

Bad day today for the (Ch)Air Force.
- posted by john @ 6:23 PM