WASHINGTON — A communications malfunction at a Wyoming Air Force base Saturday knocked 50 intercontinental ballistic missiles offline for 45 minutes while technicians scrambled to diagnose the problem, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
The glitch in the underground cable system linking launch-control centers at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, west of Cheyenne, to the missile silos affected one-ninth of the U.S. land-based nuclear force, a key part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent, officials said. They stressed there was no possibility of accidental launch or indications that a foreign government or terrorists had hacked into the system.
Officials emphasized that the Minuteman III missiles still could have been fired using backup systems, if necessary. But the problem was considered serious enough that President Barack Obama and military officials were notified about the breakdown.
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