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Article 15s for nuke handlers who fell asleep

The three missile officers at the 91st Missile Wing who fell asleep on July 12 while still in possession of classified components received non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice on Aug. 28, officials said.

The two first lieutenants and one captain also lost their certification in the Personnel Reliability Program making them ineligible to work with nuclear weapons. And they were fined an unspecified amount from each of the next two months pay.

Two squadron commanders and several other officers at the wing received administrative actions for their roles in the incident involving classified components containing superceded missile launch codes for Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

Maj. Gen. Roger Burg, 20th Air Force commander, issued the Article 15s to the three officers who had just completed a 24-hour shift and were waiting in the rest area of the launch control center’s support building while awaiting permission to leave the secure zone.

Air Force regulations mandate at least two of the officers must remain awake while in control of these items.

“We hold everyone involved in this mission to the highest standards of performance and accountability every day, and we will not tolerate substandard performance,” Burg said.

Air Force Space Command officials also announced two other incidents under investigation that occurred at launch control centers over the past three years:

* An unnamed officer reported to Space Command officials last May that he and another officer previously assigned to the 91st failed to destroy classified tamper devices used in launch control centers in 2005 even though both signed paperwork stating they had done so, said Maj. Laurie Arellano, a command spokeswoman.

The incident is still under investigation, but it was reported after the officer disclosed what happened during an interview for another assignment necessitating a security clearance, Arellano said.

* The other incident involves an alleged sexual assault. A female missile combat crew member reported that a male crew member exposed himself while the two were on duty at a launch control center at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., in December 2007, officials said.

The female officer initially issued a restricted report that prevented authorities from investigating it further. Last March, she took the restriction off allowing Space Command officials to investigate possible disciplinary action. Both officers are still at Malmstrom, Arellano said.

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