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From The Times
March 26, 2008

US blunder sent nuclear components to Taiwan

Tom Baldwin in Washington

The Pentagon admitted yesterday that it had mistakenly shipped four triggers for inter-continental nuclear missiles to Taiwan, an island with which Communist China maintains a state of war.

Officials said that the components had since been returned to the United States but added that they had began a full investigation into the incident which occurred two years ago.

The blunder represents the second embarrassing misplacement of nuclear-related equipment to come to light in recent months. Last year the military lost track of nuclear warheads for several hours after an Air Force bomber was incorrectly armed with them — and then flew over the length of the US before the error was discovered.

Ryan Henry, a senior adviser to Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary, said that the military was supposed to dispatch helicopter batteries to Taiwan. “It was not crystal clear exactly what happened,” he said, before describing the mistake as disconcerting and intolerable.

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The Pentagon has ordered the Navy and Air Force to make an inventory of all nuclear and nuclear-associated equipment. An examination of the site in Taiwan where the components had been stored indicated that they had not been tampered with. Mr Henry said that the triggers were “quite dated” as part of the Minuteman strategic nuclear missile system designed in the 1960s.

Michael Wynne, the Air Force Secretary, insisted that the items “could not be construed as being nuclear material”. He added: “It is a component for the fuse in the nosecone for a nuclear system.” But he added: “We are very concerned about it.”

Chinese officials, who have been informed of the incident, did not immediately respond to requests for a comment. Taiwan broke away from the mainland in 1949. Although Washington no longer formally recognises the island’s independence, it continues to provide the bedrock of Taiwan’s military defence against a possible Chinese attack.

Well done the Pentagon! Iran will admit they "mistakenly" receive some nuclear weapon from some country soon.

Ziying.X, Manchester, UK

A very over done story. These were four fuses - the electrical, not the light a match and watch it burn to the dynamite variety. The ROC military noticed the error and reported it to the U.S. Military - two years ago!

EAG, Maritimes, Canada

"Blunder" wink, wink....Think that over China

r. burns, Tampa, US

It is more like Dr.Strangelove, or How I learned to love the bomb. I can see Peter Sellers now, in his uniform, talking respectfully to the madman US Army Airborne colonel, who warned of losing body fluids! I am sure some SP-4 in the army will take the hit for all of this. The colonel in charge will be free of guilt, just as the commander was let off the hook in Iraq where they ran the torture prison. Has everyone gone mad, as the English say?

Dennis Caisse, Lockport, NY, USA

HAHAHA! Rob was being sarcastic everyone!!! HAHAHA!!!

Alex, San Francisco, CA, USA

In the words of that great American Homer J Simpson "D'oh!" It's Ok guys the US does not trust anyone else with nuclear weapons so we can all sleep safely in our beds tonight (For the Americans reading this, this is sarcasm, yet another thing you do not get, along with basic inventory control)

Rob, Northampton, England

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