WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says “something is wrong” inside the Air Force’s nuclear missile corps.
Hagel told reporters Friday that he is confident the problems will get fixed and that the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons will remain safe and secure. He said he will convene a high-level meeting soon to probe the problems.
Hagel was commenting on the Air Force’s dual investigations of drug use and exam cheating within its nuclear missile force, as well as a series of disclosures last year by The Associated Press about security lapses, leadership failures and other problems among those who operate and protect the Minuteman 3 missile force.
Citing a “cultural” problem for the nuclear force, Hagel said that over the years, oversight of the nuclear force has waned.
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