The Atlantic reported earlier in the week that last Saturday morning, at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming an engineering fault took 50 ICBMs [almost 10% of the U.S. nuclear missile capability] offline. Originally said to be a power failure [unlikely due to redundant power supplies, auxiliary generators and even temporary battery power] it was later corrected to a fault with old communication cabling deep within the underground complex.
According to people briefed on what happened, a squadron of ICBMs controlled by the 90th Missile Wing suddenly dropped down into what's known as "LF Down" status, meaning that the missile operators in their bunkers could no longer communicate with the missiles themselves. LF Down status also means that various security protocols built into the missile delivery system, like intrusion alarms and warhead separation alarms, were offline.
Commanders at the AFB sent warning notices to the country's two other nuclear missile command centers, as well as the to the NMCC at the Pentagon. At that point, they did not know what was causing the failure, and they did not know whether other missile systems were experiencing similar symptoms.
Engineers noted that hardware failures had triggered a similar cascading failure 12 years ago at Minot AFB in North Dakota and Malmstrom AFB in Montana. That piece of hardware is the prime suspect. An Air Force spokesperson, Christy Nolta, said the failure lasted less than an hour. "There was a temporary interruption and the missiles themselves were always protected by multiple, redundant, safety, security and command and control features. At no time was there any danger to the public," she said. Another military official said the failure triggered an emergency inspection protocol, and sentries were dispatched to verify in person that all of the missiles were safe and properly protected.
Some reports suggest that the missiles were rendered inoperable by UAOs like the ones that former Air Force missile officers describe as interfering with missile systems in the past as they stated to the National Press Club recently:
Brigadier General “Ballista” Jackson, U.N.E.T.I.D.A. Missile Defence Commander [Northern] also answered media questions during the week. "UNETIDA is confident that at no time were we not able to strike against extra-terrestrial aggressors in orbit or implement our scorched earth policy on the ground as a result of the fault. We are satisfied that U.S. Global Strike Command has an efficient infrastructure in place that enable us to protect the planet should it be required."
While UNETIDA has no ICBMs of its own, emergency powers to launch and control the weapons are intended to be granted to them by the heads of state of China, France, the Russian Federation, the U.K. and the U.S.A. should the need arise.
Source: Eamonn / The Atlantic / FOX News