AIR FORCE MISSILE WING FAILS NUCLEAR SURETY INSPECTION

Another Air Force nuclear unit has stumbled on an inspection, this time with the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana failing a recent nuclear surety inspection by the Air Force Global Strike Inspector General. In an Aug. 13 statement, Global Strike Command said the missile wing received an “unsatisfactory” rating because it made “tactical-level errors” during one of several operations during the inspection. The command said the errors were not related to the command and control of nuclear weapons. “These inspections are designed to be tough to pass,” Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. James Kowalski said in a statement. “A failure doesn’t mean the wing isn’t able to accomplish its mission.” In an interview with the Associated Press, Kowalski said the “unit fumbled on this exercise.” In its Aug. 13 release on the failed inspection, Global Strike Command emphasized that nuclear surety inspections are “extremely demanding, ensuring the highest standards of compliance and accountability.”