And now from the 'I can't believe it' files
I've been holding on to this for a few days. I had to let it all sink in.
Here's the headline from The New York Times:
U.S. Accidentally Releases List of Nuclear Sites
First off, how does this happen? How does something get posted 'accidentally'? I can't even get the correct SDN logo posted and I've been trying for two years now.
This reminds me of that hard drive that went missing.
The report details the locations of hundreds of nuclear sites and activities. Each page is marked across the top "Highly Confidential Safeguards Sensitive" in capital letters ... The report lists many particulars about nuclear programs and facilities at the nation's three nuclear weapons laboratories — Los Alamos, Livermore and Sandia — as well as dozens of other federal and private nuclear sites.
One of the most serious disclosures appears to center on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, which houses the Y-12 National Security Complex, a sprawling site ringed by barbed wire and armed guards. It calls itself the nation’s Fort Knox for highly enriched uranium, a main fuel of nuclear arms.
The report lists “Tube Vault 16, East Storage Array,” as a prospective site for nuclear inspection. It said the site, in Building 9720-5, contains highly enriched uranium for “long-term storage.”
An attached map shows the exact location of Tube Vault 16 along a hallway and its orientation in relation to geographic north, although not its location in the Y-12 complex.
This is my favorite quote from the article:
"These screw-ups happen," said John M. Deuth, a former director of central intelligence and deputy secretary of defense who is now a professor at MIT.
That seems to be the general consensus from security experts, but Washington is in a flurry of activity as officials try to find out why this was posted in a public forum.
It's true, 'these screw-ups happen' but should they should be limited. If this information leads to criminal or terrorist acts, what will people be saying then?
