US mistakenly sent Taiwan N-missile parts

US mistakenly sent Taiwan N-missile parts

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

Published: March 25 2008 19:58 | Last updated: March 25 2008 22:42

The US mistakenly sent nuclear missile components to Taiwan in 2006, the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday, marking the second big failure of nuclear safeguards in recent years.

The Pentagon accidentally shipped four fuses for the Minuteman missile instead of helicopter batteries that Taiwan had ordered. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, has ordered an investigation even though no fissile material was sent to Taiwan.

“[Mistakes] cannot be tolerated in the arena in strategic systems, whether they are nuclear or associated equipment, as was in this case,” said Ryan Henry, a senior Pentagon official.

While the fuses are similar to those used on convention missiles, the models shipped to Taiwan were specifically designed for the Mk12 nuclear warhead, which would be attached to an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The revelation follows another embarrassing incident last year when a B-52 bomber unwittingly carried nuclear weapons across the US without military officials realising that the warheads had gone missing.

In the latest case, the Pentagon was unaware that the fuses had disappeared from storage. Taiwan notified the US earlier this year that the shipment did not match the order for batteries. Only last week, however, did the Pentagon realise that the shipped equipment was not another kind of battery, but the fuses used to trigger the start of the detonation process.

The US informed the Chinese government, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, about the matter on Tuesday, in advance of the public disclosure. Mr Henry stressed that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, saying the shipment was simply an error. The US is legally required to help Taiwan defend itself.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said the “extremely stupid” mistake underscored that “procedures and controls on these sensitive items need to be reviewed and tightened”. The Pentagon was also examining whether the transfer breached any international arms treaties or congressional regulations.

Admiral Kirkland Donald will investigate the error, and the Pentagon has ordered a comprehensive review to determine how the safeguards failed. Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary, said Mr Gates chose a senior Navy officer partly to avoid any perception of conflict of interest.

While Taipei did not inform the Pentagon about the discrepancy until earlier this year, more than a year after the components were delivered, Michael Wynne, secretary of the air force, said the Taiwanese authorities had acted “very responsibly”.

Mr Wynne said there was no indication that the fuses had been probed for intelligence. Mr Henry said there was no evidence that they had been tampered with, but added that the investigation would consider that possibility.