Air Force Chief Of Staff General Michael Moseley Forced To Resign

Reuters reports:

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley has resigned, and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne may also be on the brink of resigning, the defense publication InsideDefense.com reported on Thursday.

"Top-level Pentagon officials gave Moseley the option to resign or be fired during a meeting this morning," the website reported, quoting an unidentified military official. "Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne also could resign later today," it said.

ABC News has more info:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked for the resignations after a blistering, and still classified, report on the screwup that resulted in nuclear fuses being sent to Taiwan. Said one official, "It's a very serious report that makes very serious allegations."

This will be the second service secretary to be fired by Robert Gates. Last year, he fired Army Secretary Francis Harvey.

Comments

[katok]

KEEP YOU EYE ON THE BALL! The new replacement is coming out of Pentagon Administration whom I am sure is a Bush loyalist (Fallon, Moseley) AirForce keeps our nukes. Israel about to strike. Why is no one discussing this?

[KeysDan]

Guess this just counts as a technical glitch: Four high-tech electrical nose cone fuses for Minuteman nuclear warheads were sent to Taiwan in place of helicopter batteries. The glitch was discovered quickly, however, only one and a half years after the mistaken shipment. Last year, a B-52 bomber was flown across the US without anyone realizing it was carrying six armed nuclear cruise missiles. Nice to know that Sec. Gates took the action he did, but the faith-based Air Force command needs further investigation. Carl Levin (D.MI) Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee had complimentary words for Gates, but apparently has not learned any lessons about the Bush administration's credibility of which Gates is a part. Senator Rockefeller should provide Levin with a copy of his Intelligence Committee report on the deceitful basis for the Iraq war to re-fresh his memory. Maybe, just maybe, Levin will get off his duff and take an independent look at these bizarre technical malfunctions in the handling of nuclear weaponry.

[truthynesslover]

Its about time some of these people got fired.I watched a c-span hearing where the G.A.O. did an investigation into how we were selling used parts of every imaginable tank ,plane ,gun on the internet and were not checking who was buying them.One outstanding sale was of parts to planes that IRAN still uses in their airforce!So we have been arming both sides.This has been going on for awhile and its about time someone did something.Good for Gates!

[noneIn2008]

Fascinating that we want the Feds to run more of our lives. Yet 90% of what they touch, they screw up. You look at the story and say "this should have never happened". Read the story on fed workers reading passport files "this should have never happened". Now you want to give them National ID and give them total control of Health Care? Be careful what you ask for.

[GuyRC]

So you want Haliburton running your life instead? Or you just want the rich to have a life? Be careful what you ask for.

[bendoverrover]

globe and mail says canada will get a new defense chief too, in july. How ironic.

[Ripsur4]

Let's be clear for just a moment. The CSAF and SECAF DO NOT get fired over what is being reported. Wing Commanders and NAF commanders get fired over mishandling of nukes, fuses, failing ORIs, etc. There is certainly much more to this. I find it ridiculous that The WH Press Sec has to come out and say the WH had nothing to do with these firings. C'mon now!! Gimme a break, eh?!! It is far more likely, given the nature of our current administration, that Gen Mosely and Sec Wynne advised against an attack on Iran. If anyone reading this thinks GWB doesn't have plans to bomb Iran before leaving office, I feel for you. What gas spike up again when this comes to pass...

[JeanPaulSatire]

Does anyone *REALLY* believe that the reasons given are in fact the true ones for the forced resignations?

[HowietheScreamer]

As I read so many of these comments it really irks me about the knee jerk Anti-military sentiment that is evident in the far left. I'm a Dem, always have been. I also am a Vet.

I find it hilarious that the lack of any kind of clue as to how the military operates never stops some on the far left from excoriating and denigrating all military folks. Is it any wonder why the vast majority of the military members don't feel welcome by the Democratic party? Something to think about and change as we move forward.

Look, Bush IS evil. No doubt. Mosley and Wynne MAY well have been kool-aid drinkers, we don't know. Wynne probably for sure. Mosely was a career military officer whose career spanned both Repube and Democratic administrations. He knew enough to keep his opinions to himself. Politics had no bearing on this case.

The simple fact is that these guys were fired for incompetent handling of nuclear weapons and other issues of LEADERSHIP. I for one am GLAD they were fired for that. They deserved to be fired. They weren't fired for anything that had anything to do with Iran. Quite simply they weren't in a position to do anything about it. Wynne especially. They just weren't in THAT PARTICULAR chain of command.

[biwee]

Having served aboard nuclear capable ships (BT3N and RUR5A) been heavily involved in the system that controls the use of nuclear weapons, as well as the supporting communications systems, I know for a hard fact that the government explanations of the "Barksdale nukes" incident is pure garbage. Many a career officer has seen his future go down in flames just for having failed in some minor administrative matter regarding the security, storage, handling, shipment of nuclear weapons. The idea that a plane would fly with these weapons onboard, and this be a surprise, is nonsense. Some courageous people put a stop to this effort to start another war, or a false flag operation. But, we will never know the truth, unless Cheney confesses.

[Veman]

Hmmm . . . These two men are so high up on the food chain that I doubt they had any direct knowledge of, or influence over, these missteps. Would you fire a head coach cuz his All-Star kicker missed the super bowl winning field goal? Don't get me wrong, the errors were grievous to be sure, but my point is that I doubt these guys knew or, should have been expected to know, about these mishaps before they occurred.

I have to wonder, esp. in light of Admiral Fallon's recent firing, whether there's an ulterior motive for their dismissals. Could it be that these two Air Force leaders opposed theoretical plans to bomb Iran; as Fallon did? And, having made their position known to the inner circles, any public dissent on their part would critically undermine this Administration's plans to actually bomb Iran before the November elections??

Think about it . . . how else could the Republicans run McCain, a candidate who is so blatantly flip flopping on EVERY SINGLE ISSUE that defined him as a maverick . . if they're not banking on his "war hero" status to overshadow all other issues? The only way that will happen is if this administration bombs Iran in the fall.

[edgarallenpoe]

Nuclear bombs are never moved between bases by accident. They aren't handled by incompetent Viet Nam era Army Sergeants. Someone wanted those nuclear weapons moved to a more convenient staging base.

[LiberalMillionaire]

Good for Gates. It seems he really meant it when he maid accountability one of the main objectives of his tenure.

The more I look at it the more I believe the next President, whoever it is, should keep him initially to help the transition.

[levibatgirl]

I remember reading about this mistake months ago.

the bush administration: Incompetents R US

[deminmo]

Remember the B-52 that flew with nuclear live weapons,
across the country from Minot to Louisianna? I understand
that is not the usual way to transport bombs, unless of course
you have plans to use them. And since Taiwan has been threatened
by China, and Taiwan is protected by the US, maybe those fuses
were needed. It took a year to get two people fired over these, but
Gates only gave us some information. Most of the investigation is
classisfied. What exactly can we trust to be true coming from
Gates, Bush or Chaney?

[gnomic]

Nice Job, Brownie, er, Mosely. Too bad your boss isn't held accountable for his crimes.

[HowietheScreamer]

Actually, he was... his boss was the Secretary of the Air Force Wynne, and he lost his job too.

[escobar]

Shouldn't he be under court martial for deriliction of duty?
If he were a n.c.o. he would be in Cuba hanging upside down answering questions from blackwater employees when he had enough air and his nuts and kidneys were not being shocked.
He was, "Just following orders" from is superiors so it is O.K. since they are above all law.