U.S. Air Force officers responsible for protecting secret launch codes for nuclear-tipped missiles left open a blast door that stops intruders from entering their command post, the Associated Press reports.
At least twice this year, launch crews failed to follow rules stipulating that blast doors must be secured if one of the two officers inside the control center is asleep. Similar violations have gone undetected on many more occasions, Air Force officials told the AP.
There are many other safeguards in place before the blast door, but the incidents were “clear-cut violations” of weapons system safety rules, the Air Force said. The revelations follow the sudden dismissal of a senior nuclear arsenal commander last week.
[AP]