Glitch knocks missiles offline

WASHINGTON – A communications malfunction at a Wyoming Air Force base on 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 to the missile silos affected one-ninth of the U.S. land-based intercontinental ballistic missile force, a key part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent, officials said.

Officials stressed that there was no possibility of accidental launch or indications that foreign government or terrorists had hacked into the system. They emphasized that the Minuteman III missiles still could have been fired using backup systems, if necessary.

“A particular piece of communications hardware” seems to be the most likely cause, said Lt. Col. John Thomas, a spokesman for the Air Force’s Global Strike Command.