Missile Commander Explains Sleeping Airmen

There was never any question about the security of nuclear missile codes during an incident at a missile control facility near Minot That s what the vice commander of the 91st Missile Wing said today regarding a situation where three missileers fell asleep while in posession of expired codes There are 15 Missile Alert Facilities spread out across hundreds of square miles surrounding Minot Air Force Base Each one has several levels of security both above ground and 60 to 80 feet below ground behind a massive blast door where what s called the capsule holds the actual controls for 10 missiles It s in this capsule that crews work a 24 hour shift - in charge of their 10 missiles But it wasn t down here that the crew members fell asleep - it was back at ground level - following a 24 hour shift - and at the conclusion of a week-long procedude to change the code system used by everyone involved with the missiles The crew had possession of the old outdated codes when they took their well-publicized nap Col Michael Spencer 91st Missile Wing The case was locked it was secured with two separate locks inside a building guarded by cops in a fenced area under surveillance That s where this superceded code sat when the crew members fell asleep 91st Missile Wing Vice Commander Colonel Michael Spencer says while the security of the missiles was never in doubt and the incident came at the end of a high-stress week of code changeover the four-person crew still did not follow through on required procedures Col Michael Spencer 91st Missile Wing It s non routine but even because it s non routine we take great strides to be sure they are prepared to execute those things because even in non routine we got to get that right because there s no room for error there Jim Olson KX News Colonel Spencer says discipline for those involved has not been decided yet