U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday the Air Force's top two officials resigned after incidents that raised questions about the security of America's nuclear weapons and parts.

Air Force Michael W. Wynne (L) and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley
©REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen/Handout


Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne (L) and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley are seen during an Air Force memorial ceremony in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 14, 2006.

Defense officials said the two were effectively fired amid mounting strain between the Air Force and the Pentagon over spending priorities and other issues. A senior U.S. defense official tied the decision directly to the findings of an investigation into the U.S. military's mistaken shipment of fuses for nuclear missiles to Taiwan.

Gates said Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, the top civilian and military leaders, had submitted their resignations and that he had accepted them.



He told a press briefing that he would recommend replacements for Wynne and Moseley at a later time.

Meanwhile, Gates said former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger would head a senior level task force to "recommend improvements necessary to ensure that the highest levels of accountability and control are maintained in the stewardship of nuclear weapons."

Both Wynne and Moseley were asked to resign, and both have submitted their resignations, an official said.

The resignations follow a string of embarrassing incidents for the Air Force.

"Over the last several months, you could sense that some change was coming and probably people would be fired," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute.

In August 2007, an Air Force bomber mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads flew across the United States. The Air Force fired a commander in response, but lawmakers criticized what they saw as a lack of accountability.

Senior Pentagon officials raised concerns about the issue as recently as last week, said one source familiar with the discussions.

NUCLEAR PROBE WAS CRITICAL OF AIR FORCE

Concern about the security of U.S. nuclear and nuclear-related equipment escalated in March when the Pentagon admitted the erroneous fuse shipment to Taiwan in 2006. The U.S. military never caught that error, which was brought to light by Taiwanese authorities.