Imagined conversation between pilot and ground crew, after a B-52 took off from Minot Air Base and landed in Louisiana with six cruise missiles carrying W-80 nuclear warheads:

CREW MEMBER: What are those?

PILOT: New boots.

CM: No, those.

P: Fuck…

From what Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said, it sounds like the Air Force is enforcing some discipline:

“The munitions squadron commander has been relieved of his duties, and final action is pending the outcome of the investigation,” he said.

“In addition, other airmen were decertified from their duties involving munitions.

Hans K has much more over at his place.

And this ACT piece by Wade has a short discussion about the US decision to eliminate some of its nuclear-armed cruise missiles:

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered the Air Force last Oct. 17 to decommission all AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACMs) and shrink the force of AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) to 528. Air Force fact sheets from early 2006 reported the service had approximately 460 ACMs and 1,142 ALCMs.

In March 28 prepared testimony to the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Air Force Major General Roger Burg said the service would not take “irreversible actions” to demilitarize and destroy retired cruise missiles until receiving “final congressional approval.” No serious congressional opposition has emerged to the plan.

Update:

Big ups to Tristero for the link.