Your nukes secured

• ptown_trojans_1

  

  So, my boss passed along this crazy and insane video. It is a video of some Dutch peace activists strolling along for over an hour on one of our nuclear weapons bases in Europe.
  
  Backstory: The U.S. has around 150-250 tactical nuclear weapons (B61) for NATO that can be fitted on F-16. They are based in Belgium, Germany, Turkey and Italy. The weapons are stored in huge vaults (the ones the people tape in the video). In the vault is the plane and under the floor are the weapons.
  
  So, these peace activists drive up to the northern part of the base, break into the fence, stroll on the runway for an hour. Then they notice that no one has arrested them yet, so they find this road that leads back to the vaults, unguarded of course. So, the people tape the vaults, then head north and are finally met by a Dutch guard. They do not get into the vaults, but still.
  
  Now, it is unknown is the vaults actually had weapons in them, as there are multiple vaults around the bases. But, still there are supposed to be Air Force personal and guards around the base.
  
  More evidence that the weapons are not needed in Europe.
  
• 2quik4u

  

  this is wonderful to know makes me feel good
• believer

  

  I have a hunch these loony leftists were treading on a "less traveled" part of the base.
  
  I can assure you as someone who used to be a part of Air Force security that the nukes themselves would be heavily guarded.
  
  However, the fact that these clowns got on the base so easily is a bit disturbing. I'm sure the Dutch are in charge of base perimeter security hence the Dutch guard making the challenge. The AF most likely has American units babysitting the active nuke bunkers.
  
  It appears to me that the Dutch need to beef up their perimeter patrols and make some obvious base infrastructure improvements. Ya think?
  
  Meanwhile, should we have tactical nukes stationed in Europe? I think not. The Cold War is over. Let's withdraw and let the Europeans pay for their own damned security.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  They probably were on a less traveled part of the base, and the nukes were never in "Real" danger as they didn't get access to the vault. But, the larger issue is the lack of security, as this is not a new issue. A 2008 Blue Ribbon Panel noted that security needed to be tightened on the bases.
  http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/1921/nato-nukes-not-secure
  
  But, here is what my boss and I figured out.
  http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/2614/activists-breach-security-at-kleine-brogel
  
  Interesting and scary. If al Qaeda wanted to get a nuke, here is a prime place to obtain one.
• believer

  

  ptown_trojans_1 wrote:Interesting and scary. If al Qaeda wanted to get a nuke, here is a prime place to obtain one.

  No question which is precisely why in the al Qaeda thread I said if these radicals ever get hold of a nuke we'd be in real trouble.
• goosebumps

  

  How do we know if thats even a real base? Don't military bases have large fences around them? that was a pretty small fence.
  
  I'm not saying its fake, but I saw nothing in the video to make me believe its legit.
• goosebumps

  

  Also that guard had little trouble speaking their language... accent and all.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  goosebumps wrote: How do we know if thats even a real base? Don't military bases have large fences around them? that was a pretty small fence.
  
  I'm not saying its fake, but I saw nothing in the video to make me believe its legit.

  goosebumps wrote: Also that guard had little trouble speaking their language... accent and all.

  Because, if you click on the links I provided, armsoncontrolwonk, you see we used Google earth to map the location of the base. Through studying the buildings, trees, roofs, and angles around the people in the video, can determine their location on the base.
  
  We also know the bases where the B61s are held, and using google earth the layout of those bases. Again, through looking at the video and google earth can figure out it is the real base.
  
  Finally, the guard was Belgian, speaking a horrible French to the protesters.
  http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/2614/activists-breach-security-at-kleine-brogel
  
  Also, we weren't the only people to figure this out:
  http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2010/02/kleinebrogel.php
• superman

  It would have been funny if they were shot on sight.