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US Air Force officials fired over nuclear blunder Catherine Elsworth The two top leaders of the American Air Force were fired by US defence secretary Robert Gates yesterday after a series of embarrassing errors including a mistaken shipment of nuclear weapons fuses to Taiwan, officials said. A public announcement was expected to confirm the departures of General Michael Moseley, the Air Force’s chief of staff, and Michael Wynne, its civilian secretary. The departures follow a number of missteps by the service that have exacerbated tensions between the Air Force and Pentagon over spending priorities, America’s nuclear security and other issues. One senior US defence official, however, singled out a probe into the military’s mistaken shipment to Taiwan of electrical fuses meant for use in intercontinental ballistic missile warheads as the main reason for the sackings. “It’s a mistake to characterise this as the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the official said. “(The fuse investigation) itself is cause.” The fuses were sent in place of an order of helicopter batteries. The mistake, which only came to light when mentioned by Taiwanese authorities, fuelled concerns about the security of US nuclear and nuclear-related equipment. An investigation ordered by Gates was completed late last month but the defence secretary took time to review its confidential findings before acting.
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