Air Force missile launch crew falls asleep

Officials say codes were not compromised — just outdated

The
probe found that the missile launch codes were outdated and remained
secure at all times. But the July 12 incident comes on the heels of a
series of missteps by the Air Force that had already put the service
under intense scrutiny.

"This
was just a procedural violation that we investigated," said Air Force
Col. Dewey Ford, a spokesman at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. "We determined that there was no compromise."

The lapse, which involved a crew based at
Minot Air Force Base, south of the Canadian border, was serious enough,
however, to prompt an investigation by the 91st Missile Wing, in
conjunction with codes experts at the 20th Air Force, U.S. Strategic
Command and the National Security Agency.

It also delivers another blow to the beleaguered Air Force.

Sweeping shake-up
Last
month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a sweeping shake-up of
the Air Force leadership, blaming them for failing to deal fully with a
series of nuclear-related mishaps...(more)

    I am sorry, but is all this together in a big picture just a little too odd to anyone else? I mean, would said "outdated" codes worked on say some accidentilally missing missiles that flew over the US some time ago? In light of the big Pentagon may be selling nuke secrets to Pakistan scandal, isn't it worth asking?