Russian Nuke Malfunctions Reported U.S. General Checking Out Reports Missiles Were On Combat Status

The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Europe said Monday he is checking a report that recent malfunctions have switched Russian nuclear missiles to “combat mode” on several occasions.

“Reports we have seen up to this date have been that the nuclear warheads have been properly cared for,” said U.S. Army Gen. George Joulwan. “But this brings another bit of information, and we are going to assess that and look into it.”

The four-star general was queried about a Washington Times report that quoted a classified CIA study that said “command and control equipment often malfunctions and on more than one occasion has switched spontaneously to combat mode.”

But, according to the Times, the CIA report said that switching the missiles to combat status “would not necessarily result in an unauthorized missile launch” because of safeguards, including codes that control locks on weapons and supply target data to the missiles.

Joulwan, who is scheduled to leave his post this summer, said NATO has “been watching with some concern the storage of nuclear warheads, and for the most part, we have positive feedback that it’s been done correctly.”

Joulwan spoke at the Pentagon on the eve of a visit by Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov, who sounded an alarm earlier this year about the state of Russia’s nuclear weaponry, saying the system could fall apart unless the government provides more money.

Equipment at the Soviet-era nuclear command centers has served two or three times longer than expected, and missiles and other systems might no longer function properly, Rodionov warned.

The Times said the CIA report was produced in March after Rodionov’s warnings.

At the CIA, spokeswoman Carolyn Osborn said the spy agency would have no comment on the Times report.

A senior Pentagon official, briefing reporters in advance of Rodionov’s visit today with Defense Secretary William Cohen, said he would not comment directly on intelligence reports.

But he pointed out that the CIA report quotes a former Soviet officer in the strategic rocket forces, adding, “That is, at best, hearsay.”

“I’ve never seen any credible report from our intelligence services - across the board - that would indicate the risk of unauthorized or accidental launch has been raised,” said the official, who is a specialist on nuclear matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“This is not something that’s keeping me up at night,” he added.