President Barack Obama was told of the emergency as senior officers admitted they could not launch one ninth of America’s intercontinental arsenal.
One officer said, “We can deal with maybe five, six or seven at a time, but we‘ve never lost complete command and control and functionality of 50 ICBMs.”
The breakdown happened on Saturday, but the Air Force declared that there was no danger to the population,.
White House aides stressed that “at no time did the President‘s ability (to use the nuclear weapons) decrease.”
The Minutemen 111 intercontinental missiles went into ‘LF Down’ - Launch Facilities Down - status, which means that nobody could communicate with the missiles and several security measures, such as intrusion and warhead separation alarms, went off-line.
The cause of the failure at the Francis E Warren Air Force base in Wyoming, North Dakota, remains unknown.
The Minutemen - which entered service in 1970 - is the bread and butter of the US nuclear attack stockpile.
The 39-ton ICBM can reach any place in the world at 15,000 miles per hour, delivering up to three 335-kiloton nuclear warheads on its target.
Currently, 450 of these missiles are distributed across Wyoming and Montana.
The US Air Force plans to keep the missiles up and running until 2040, and have been fitted with new features - like new guidance systems - since their initial deployment.
According to defence officials, communications with some missiles were disrupted for 45 minutes, making it more difficult to launch them and sending the military scrambling to determine the cause of the incident.
A defence official said power failure disrupted communications.
There was no danger of an accidental launch, officials said, and the Air Force had eyes on the missiles at all times.
“There was no threat to the public,” said the defence official.
The cause of the power failure remains unknown, but it is not believed to be terrorist-linked.
Michael Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, notified Defense Secretary Robert Gates of the incident, which was first reported by the Atlantic on its website on Tuesday.
Another official said the cause of the incident was being analysed.
‘The missiles were protected by multiple, redundant safety security and control features,‘ said a military official.
In 2008, a series of problems with nuclear weapons and parts, including the accidental transport of a weapon across the U.S., led Defense Secretary Gates to fire the Air Force secretary and chief of staff.
The current Air Force leadership has put more emphasis on improving nuclear readiness and stewardship of the arsenal.
It has restored funding, increased the number of inspections, and tried to increase the prestige of airmen and officers working in the nuclear field.
The Atlantic reported that the squadron of ICBMs was in ‘LF Down‘ status, which means the airmen in the missile bunkers could not communicate with the missiles.
The missiles still could be launched, but only by airborne command and control platforms.
Although the missiles at Warren Air Force base represent a large proportion of the ICBM arsenal, the defence official said that at no time was Mr. Obama without a nuclear-launch capabilities.
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