WASHINGTON — Air Force officials acknowledged on Wednesday that inspectors at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming turned up deficiencies in several areas of the 90th Missile Wing’s nuclear surety inspection.
In a statement, Air Force Space Command officials said despite the problems the wing remains certified to perform its strategic mission. The command’s inspector general has planned a return to the base within 90 days to make sure corrective actions have been taken.
Officials would not specify what problems were raised in the inspection, citing Air Force policy not to release that information.
“There is no margin for error in nuclear operations,” the statement said. “The benefits of this careful examination are paramount to continued reliability and confidence in our nuclear enterprise.”
On Tuesday the Project on Government Oversight said they had obtained a memo from investigators to Congress detailing that the unit’s management of nuclear missiles and its “tools, test, tie down and handling equipment” were both rated unsatisfactory by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Last month, the 341st Missile Wing failed its surety inspection because of similar training and personnel problems, and in May the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base failed a similar review.