Air Force chiefs outsted after nuclear-tipped missiles fly across US

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates ousted the US Air Force’s top military and civilian leaders today, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after nuclear missile warhead fuses were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan.

Mr Gates announced at a news conference that he had accepted the resignations of Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne – a highly unusual double firing.

Mr Gates cited two embarrassing incidents in the past year. In one, a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown across the US without anyone realising nuclear weapons were aboard.

In the other, four electrical fuses for ballistic missile warheads were mistakenly sent to Taiwan in the place of helicopter batteries.

Mr Gates said an internal investigation found a common theme in the B-52 and Taiwan incidents: “A decline in the Air Force’s nuclear mission focus and performance”.

In a reflection of his concern about the state of nuclear security, Mr Gates said he asked a former defence secretary, James Schlesinger, to lead a task force that will recommend ways to ensure that the highest levels of accountability and control are maintained in Air Force handling of nuclear weapons.

In sombre tones, Mr Gates said his decision to remove Mr Wynne and Gen Moseley was based on the findings of an investigation of the Taiwan debacle by Admiral Kirkland Donald.

The admiral found a “lack of a critical self-assessment culture” in the Air Force, making it unlikely that weaknesses in the way critical materials such as nuclear weapons are handled could be corrected, Mr Gates said.

The Donald report is classified. although Mr Gates provided an oral summary.

“The Taiwan incident clearly was the trigger,” Mr Gates said when asked whether Gen Moseley and Mr Wynne would have retained their positions in the absence of the mistaken shipment of fuses.

He also said that Admiral Donald found a “lack of effective Air Force leadership oversight” of its nuclear mission.

Gates said he would make recommendations to President George Bush shortly on a new Air Force chief of staff and civilian secretary.

Mr Wynne and Gen Moseley issued their own written statements.

“As the Air Force’s senior uniformed leader, I take full responsibility for events which have hurt the Air Force’s reputation or raised a question of every airman’s commitment to our core values,” Gen Moseley said.

Mr Wynne said he “read with regret” the findings of the Donald report.