Command and Control (112 page)

heads of.
See
Power, Thomas S., General

Human Reliability Program, 298, 351

overseas bases, 149

pilots' negativity toward, 347–48

Soviet strike plan (1955), 149–50

Strategic Operational Control System (SOCS), 154

successor to, 474

Titan II accident, secrecy about, 63–64, 112–13, 236, 418–19, 424, 429–32, 436

Titan II launch procedure, 27–28

two-man policy, 28, 30, 298

Strategic bombing strategy, 45, 87, 91, 130, 205

Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), 447, 451, 452

Strategic Deterrence and Global Strike, 476–77

Strategic Operational Control System (SOCS), 154

Strath, William, 141–42

Strath Report, 141–42, 156

Stratotanker, 209

Strauss, Lewis L., 123–24, 142, 158

Streett, St. Clair, Major General, 80

Strontium-90, 139

Suitcase bomb, 416

Superbomb/Super.
See
Hydrogen bomb

Supersafe bomb, 331

Svitenko, Leonard, Captain, 322

Sweeney, Charles W., Major, 53

Symington, Stuart, 150

Szilárd, Leó, 37, 39, 44–45

Tactical Air Command (TAC), xxii

Tactical weapons

dangers/accidents, 287

increased production of, 303–4

LeMay as opponent of, 130–32

proponents of, 130, 200, 257, 268, 284, 287, 354

Soviet, in Cuba, 295

Soviet arsenal (2013), 479

Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO), xxii, 273

Tallman, Joseph

injury, treatment of, 403

Titan II explosion, 401

TATB explosive, xxii, 332

Tatom, Sam, 429

Taylor, Maxwell D., General

on attacking Soviets, 277

and Cuban missile crisis, 294

on flexible response, 200, 203, 250

position of, xvii

on tactical weapons, 268

Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS), xxii, 270, 289

Teller, Edward

A-bomb development, 36, 40

hydrogen bomb development, 123, 127–29

and Polaris system, 314

Terrorists

Bush and 9/11 chaos, 476

and nuclear weapons, 373

Pakistan vulnerability to, 480

Test bans.
See
Arms control

Texas towers, 151

Thatcher, Margaret, 453

Thermal batteries, 160

Thermonuclear fusion, hydrogen bomb, 122–23, 127–29

Third World War: August
198
5
(Hackett), 14–15

Thomas, Frank, 387

Thomas, Robert J., Sergeant, and Titan II (533-7) accident, 339, 341–46

Thor missiles, 221, 308–9

Threat Assessment Conference, 366–68

Three Mile Island, 367, 460

Threshold Test Ban Treaty, 358

Thule monitor, 267–68, 320–21, 324–25

Thunderball
(film), 317

Tinian airfield, 50, 52, 97

Tipsies

black hat operation alert, 230–31

function of, 20

Titan I, 182

propellants of, xx, 222

Titanic Effect, 313

Titan II, 223–27

accuracy, compared to older missiles, 227

Air Force on safety of, 385–86

Arkansas accidents.
See
Titan II Launch Complex 374-4 accident; Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident

community warning siren amendment, 347, 385–86

dangers, informants on, 337–38, 347

decommissioning attempts, 266, 346, 351–52, 444

design features, 223–24

destruction capabilities, 223, 226

firing protocol, 11

flight, pattern/mechanics of, 225–26

guidance system, 224–26

Kansas accident.
See
Titan II Launch Complex 533-7 accident

Titan II (
cont.
)

launch procedure, 27–28

launch stages/propellant mixing, 4, 223, 225

manufacturer of, 218

as potential disaster, 337–38, 347–48, 351, 376, 385–86, 430, 436

propellants, dangers of, 4–5

recycled missiles, 32–33

safety valve lock, 28

size of, 3

targets of, 11

time to reach target, 28, 226

two-man launch policy, 28

warhead.
See
W-53 warhead

Titan II Launch Complex 374-4 accident

flash fire (1965), 23–26, 227

as ghost site, 22

recycled missile from, 32–33

Titan II Launch Complex 374-5, 12, 18

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7

abandonment of, 484

combat crew, xv, 8–9

daily shift verification (DSV), 29, 30–31

entrance security, 20–21

explosives/flammables in, 6–7

layout of, 6, 22, 26, 29

missile position/mounting, 6, 65

tunnel leading to missile, 21–22

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident. See also individual persons related to incident

Air Force account of, 430, 435–37

Air Force withholds information about, 63–64, 112–13, 236, 418–19, 424, 429–32, 436

blast door breach, 59, 67, 116, 214

dropped socket/fuel leak, 7, 56, 60, 64–65, 102, 109, 437

escape hatch, 68–70, 234, 239

fire in silo question, 57–58, 65, 102–3, 109

fuel vapor/cloud, 56–58, 64–65

fuel vapor/cloud in air outside, 70, 101, 106, 108

media coverage, 418–20, 430–32

as normal accident, 463–64

oxidizer tank, low pressure problem, 5–6, 28, 32

oxidizer trailer leak (1978), 62, 63, 111–12

personnel, aftermath for, 437–40

as recycled missile, 32–33

tanks' pressure level changes, dangers of, 65–68, 102, 105–6, 116–17, 217

Titan II explosion, 392–94

vapor-detection system, 33–34, 57–59

warning lights confusion, 34, 56–58, 64, 66, 208

water tank malfunction, 31, 66

work platforms malfunction, 29–30, 31

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident response.
See also
individual persons related to incident

casualties of, 430–31, 436–37

communication problems, 210, 216–17, 218, 240–41, 390, 402

decontamination, 390, 427–28

equipment for, 106–7, 211, 216, 241–42, 420

evacuation, 68–70, 108, 214–16

evacuation of local civilians, 112, 229, 404–5, 419

flight from explosion, 392–401

fuel vapor hazard reading, 391–92

initial actions, illegality of, 109–10, 115–17

injured, rescue of, 401, 405, 408–14

injured, treatment of, 413–14, 421

injured crew, rescue of, 409–14

Martin Marietta's plan, 235–36, 237

medical response inadequacy, 402–3, 413–14, 437

officers, lack of experience for, 107, 210–11, 213, 239

power to complex, leaving on, 217–18, 239

power to missile, shutting down, 66, 67, 214

PTS crew abandoned at site, 397, 402

PTS team enters site, 240–42, 388–92

response plan, approvals needed, 118, 212, 217, 227, 233–34

response plan, opposition to, 235–36, 239–40

response plan, steps in, 234, 238–39

toxic corridor mapping, 59

ventilation fan, order to turn on, 392, 436–37

warhead, search for, 420, 423–24

warhead removal, 432

weapons deactivation team, 422–23, 425–27

Titan II Launch Complex 533-7 accident, 338–46

casualties of, 346

cause of, 339–40, 345

malfunctions during emergency, 340–45

victim lawsuits, 386

Titan II launch complexes

backup crew, role of, xx, 7

blast doors, 21–22

and concurrency practice, 219

construction materials of, 219

control center, 26–27, 33, 428–29

credit card, breaking in with, 230–31

entrance security, 20–21

explosives/flammables in, 6–7

layout of, 22, 26, 29

locations of, 18–20, 27, 227

maintenance procedure, standardized, 7

safety features of, 7, 21, 33–34

training of personnel for.
See
Training

two-man policy, 7, 28, 30

ventilation system, 29

water tanks in, 31, 66

weapons policy, 7

Townes, Charles H., 455–56

Townley, Robert, Major, 310

Toxic corridor mapping, 59, 215

Training

accidents during, 169–70, 191, 310–11, 324, 339–46

of combat crew, 11–12, 18

Dash-1
manual, 11, 57

of instructor crew, 11, 18, 22, 30

of PTS teams, 5, 103–4, 338, 339, 346

shortcomings and accident risk, 5, 23, 89, 160, 261, 338, 366–67

in weapons deactivation, 415–18

Travis, Robert F., Brigadier General, 169–70

Trident submarines, 441, 470–71

Trinity test, 36, 40–44, 47–48, 52, 94, 205, 329

Tritium, 127, 128

Tritium meters, 417

TROJAN, 85

Truman, Harry S.

arms control issue, 75–82

atomic bomb approval by, 47–48, 52

command-and-control dilemma, 77–78, 87–88, 94, 125–26, 157

and hydrogen bomb development, 124–26

preventive atomic blitz on Soviets, 82–89, 130–31

Truman Doctrine, 80–81, 96

Tsar Bomba, 286

Tulloch, Walter S., Major, 245

Twining, Nathan, General, 203

Two-man policy

PTS member violation of, 116–18, 217, 438

scope of, 7, 28, 30, 298

U-2 spy planes, accident risks, 462–63

Ulam, Stanslaw, 127

Uncertain Trumpet, The
(Taylor), 250

United Nations (UN), 74, 482

Uranium

composite core with plutonium, 99

number of protons of, 38

safety versus plutonium, 164

type for nuclear reaction, 39

U.S. Air Force (USAF).
See also
Strategic Air Command (SAC)

command-and-control system (2009– ), 474–75

Eisenhower-era power of, 132–33

founding of, xxii

Navy rivalry with, 84–87, 182, 203–4

nuclear weapons safety lapse (2003– ), 472–74

U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF), xxii, 45

U.S. military defenses.
See also
specific armed forces

bombers, number of (1960), 150

counterforce strategy, 131, 133, 201, 205, 267, 302, 434, 483–84

deficiency (1949), 85–87

deficiency (1953), 132

deficiency (1980s), 13

demobilization, post–World War II, 80, 81, 86, 88

nuclear arsenal.
See
Nuclear weapons;
specific weapons by name

nuclear attack order.
See
Command and control

nuclear weapons of (2013), 477

presidential actions.
See
specific presidents

Soviet attack, warning of.
See
Warning systems

Sputnik,
buildup following, 176–79, 221–22

U.S. Navy

atomic blitz opposition to, 87

Eisenhower-era, 133

Polaris system, 182, 200–201, 265–66, 273, 313–14

rivalry with Air Force, 84–87, 182, 203–4

storage of weapons on ships, 158–59

Trident submarines, 441, 470–71

USS
Casimir Pulaski,
350

USS
Liberty,
356

USS
Nathan Hale,
350

USS
Pueblo,
356

USS
Ticonderoga,
312

USS
United States,
86, 87

V-2 missile, 182, 225

Vandenberg Air Force Base, 220, 222, 462, 484–85

Vanderberg, Hoyt, General, 126

Vanguard rocket, 177

VanKirk, George, 382–84

Vapor-detection system

functions of, xxi

and Titan II accident, 33–34, 57–59

Victory Through Air Power, 85

Vietnam War, 304–5, 348–49, 358

W-25 warhead, 376

W-47 warhead, 313–14

W-49 warhead, 196–97

W-53 warhead

deactivating, 423, 425–27, 432

power of, 3, 346

programming explosion, 226

reentry vehicle with, 425–26

retrofit plan, 376, 385–86, 444

safety mechanisms, 215

safety record, 385–86

W-76 warhead, 470

W-87 warhead, 471

W-88 warhead, 470–71

Walker, John, 464–65

Wallace, George C., 304–5

Wallace, Ronald O., Sergeant, 24

Wallace, Wayne, Major

at Titan II accident site, 390

Titan II explosion, 397, 401

Walske, Carl, 325–26

Walters, Barbara, 16

Warheads.
See entries under
W,
for example,
W-53 warhead

Warning systems

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), 178, 252–53

computers, use in, 152–53

Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, 151–53, 252

flaws of, 252–55, 286–87, 290, 365–68, 447–48

North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), 152, 365–68

satellites in, 269, 303

Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), 153–54, 252

Water tanks, in launch complex, 31, 66

Watkins, James D., 454–55

Watson, Thomas J., Jr., 253

Weak link/strong link safety, 331–32, 372, 377, 449–50, 455–56, 468

Weapons deactivation

Titan II accident, 422–23

training in, 415–18

Weapons labs, scientists and engineers of, xvii

Weapons Systems Evaluation Group (WSEG)

function of, xxiii

Report No. 50, 251–55

Webb, James, 88

Webster, Douglas M., Lieutenant, 312

Weinberger, Caspar, 434–35, 443–44

Weisskopf, Victor, 36, 43

Wells, H. G., 37

Wells, Jackie, Captain, 214

Wendorf, Charles J., Captain, 315

Wessel, Glen H., Senior Airman, 341–43

Whirlwind computer, 152–53