Moments before he launched a carefully planned pep talk to members of the Air Force's nuclear missile force, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was undercut by yet another sign of trouble in their ranks: a drug probe of two missile officers.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is making a rare visit to an Air Force nuclear missile base in Wyoming, hoping to boost morale among those who operate, maintain and safeguard the nation's Minuteman 3 nuclear missiles.
Wyoming's U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso are urging Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to back away from a plan to study the possible elimination of intercontinental ballistic missiles silos.
According to a news release, although the Air Force deactivated its last Peacekeeper missiles in September 2005, 50 of these missile silos and five alert facilities remain.