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CLEARFIELD, Utah (AP) -- Hill Air Force Base's handling of materials used to arm, launch or release nuclear weapons has been criticized again.
According to Air Force Audit Agency reports obtained by the Deseret News, the base failed to account for more than 100 nuclear-related parts in recent inventories, which could lead to undetected theft.
Agency inspectors also said when Hill officials found discrepancies in inventory data, they simply changed codes on forms without verifying actual conditions.
Now that we know what those areas are, we are concentrating on improving them.
–Hill Air Force Base statement
And inspectors said some nuclear-related items were stored in containers marked with codes for other parts, which could lead to shipping the wrong item.
Auditors urged Hill to improve training, rewrite procedures, rearrange warehousing to segregate nuclear-related items and instruct workers to be more vigilant in handling materials.
Hill officials agreed to accept all of the agency's recommendations, acknowledging the reports "revealed areas that need improvement."
"Now that we know what those areas are, we are concentrating on improving them," Hill leaders told the Deseret News in a statement. "Although none of the findings show compromises in safety, security and reliability of nuclear weapons sustainment, we continue to hone our training, processes and procedures to ensure we provide the best possible support. We are committed to meeting the highest standards of safety, security and reliability all the time."
The reports were written in January but recently obtained by the Deseret News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The audit came after Hill in 2008 mistakenly sent nuclear missile parts to Taiwan instead of the helicopter batteries that were ordered.
The high-profile blunder cost the Air Force secretary and chief of staff their jobs, and 17 other generals and colonels were disciplined.
It also helped prompt the Air Force to order a worldwide inventory of all such nuclear-related materials in 2009.
Also last year, the Pentagon ordered auditors to review how well Hill's 526th Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Sustainment Group is overseeing such items.
Their report said Hill failed to account for 107 "assets valued in excess of $2.6 million." The report did not list exactly what type of nuclear weapons parts were involved. The Air Force said release of the information could harm national security.
Auditors said the parts were not included in any inventory management system, and that Hill could prevent their loss or theft by identifying and recording them.
Even after Hill's role in the shipping of missile parts instead of helicopter batteries to Taiwan, auditors found that some missile parts were stored in reusable containers marked with outdated data that did not match the item inside.
Auditors said local officers blamed the problems on confusing and insufficient guidance and training on how to conduct the inventory.
Auditors found fewer problems in how Hill's 75th Air Base Wing handles similar materials, but noted it failed to mark items to show inventory completion to ensure that multiple teams did not count the same item.
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