US presidential nuclear codes 'lost for months

[Nothing]

The codes used by the president to launch a nuclear strike were mislaid for months during the Clinton administration, the former highest-ranking US officer has said.

Ex-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen Hugh Shelton made the claim in a new book.

The codes are usually held by an aide who remains close to the president.

Gen Shelton said there was an incident where an aide said the codes had been lost.

They were immediately replaced, but an internal inquiry was conducted.

Gen Shelton said the incident had taken place "around the year 2000".

Under the procedures, an official was sent every month to check the codes, and that they were replaced every four months with new codes.

According to Gen Shelton's book, Without Hesitation, an official had gone to check one month and been told by the aide that the codes were on the president's person but that he was in an important meeting and could not be disturbed.

A different official went to do the same check a month later and was told a similar story. When it came time to change the codes, an aide admitted they had been missing for months.

Gen Shelton said it was apparent that the president had not had the codes and that he had been unaware that an aide had lost them.

The general described the episode as a "comedy of errors".

BBC News - US presidential nuclear codes 'lost for months'
----------------------------------------------------------------------

UUHHHHHH........ such b big blunder ...
and from US point of view ..
If some other nation will do same mistake.. that nation is no mature enough to hold nuclear weapons ..................

 

[Malik Usman]

Just imagine could had happened in Pakistan how the world will response........this is the world's dual face.

 

[somebozo]

They should hire PAEC as consultants.
M. Qureshi should carry a print out of this news in his pocket everywhere. Even over Hillary hers her Pakistani nuke hiccups, this article can be waived before her eyes as a remedy!

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

but, it hasn't!

given how our enemies or opponents love to point fingers at us, on cue we have taken positive steps to ensure high tech methods of security of our strategic assets

unlike other countries, we don't have rogue activity; scientists going missing; mis-labelling or accidental mistreatment of warheads, etc.

of course some will bring up proliferation and all of that, but in the end nothing of significance was distributed or compromised (and what was, was revealed and/or intercepted)

to lose the codes to fire the weapon is alarming; but nothing to worry about NOW I suppose. This is a revelation of a past incident, let bygons be bygons. I think that the incident involing B-52 flying across the US armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, (with an oblivious pilot and crew) was a much more severe blunder, and it's good that punitive action was taken on it.