WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted the Air Force’s top military and civilian leaders Thursday, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after embarrassing nuclear mix-ups.
Gates announced at a news conference that he had accepted the resignations of the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Michael Moseley, and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne — a highly unusual double firing.
Gates said his decision was based mainly on the damning conclusions of an internal report on the mistaken shipment to Taiwan of four Air Force electrical fuses for ballistic missile warheads. And he linked the underlying causes of that slip-up to another startling incident: the flight last August of a B-52 bomber that was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
The report drew the stunning conclusion that the Air Force’s nuclear standards have been in a long decline, a “problem that has been identified but not effectively addressed for over a decade.”
Gates said an internal investigation found a common theme in the B-52 and Taiwan incidents: “a decline in the Air Force’s nuclear mission focus and performance” and a failure by Air Force leaders to respond effectively.
In a reflection of his concern about the state of nuclear security, Gates said he had asked a former defense secretary, James Schlesinger, to lead a task force that will recommend ways to ensure that the highest levels of accountability and control are maintained in Air Force handling of nuclear weapons.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said that President Bush knew about the resignations but that the White House had “not played any role” in the shake-up.
Gates’ move drew favorable reaction from Capitol Hill.
“Secretary Gates’ focus on accountability is essential and had been absent from the office of the secretary of defense for too long,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee. “The safety and security of America’s nuclear weapons must receive the highest priority, just as it must in other countries.”
Gates said he would make recommendations to Bush shortly on a new Air Force chief of staff and civilian secretary.
