USA: secrets about nuclear missiles in Europe revealed on online review apps
It is not easy to be a soldier in charge of the nuclear arsenal. Indeed, there is a large amount of information and acronyms to memorize. Soldiers must also regularly review their knowledge as they are often subjected to long and detailed safety questionnaires. Faced with this pressure and to keep pace, some have turned to online review tools.
There are indeed nuclear missiles scattered throughout Europe
Friday May 28, Bellingcat investigation site published an investigation into the location of some US thermonuclear bombs stored in Europe. The author of the article, Foeke Postma, typed the acronyms “PAS”, “WS3” and “vault” into Google.
These are acronyms used by the US military. They are associated with the name of European military bases known to house nuclear missiles. PAS is an English acronym referring to aircraft hangars. WS3 corresponds to armament securing systems and vault corresponds to concrete reinforcement. It is also a question of airborne nuclear missiles and B61 thermonuclear bombs, explains Foeke Postma.
Soldiers unknowingly disclosed extremely sensitive information
By typing the three acronyms into the Google search bar, this investigator was offered free review sheet applications for students. Among these apps were Chegg, Quizlet, and Cram. On the Chegg app were 70 review sheets for Volkel Air Base in south-eastern Netherlands. It was mentioned that the site housed 11 protective frames, 5 of which are “hot”, that is to say armed.
Other review sheets found on the Cram app revealed that the Aviano base, in Italian, is a cold missile in frame 27 of the Tango Loop area. Worse still, a soldier had detailed on the card the passwords and usernames required to deactivate the WS3 security systems.
In any case, Foeke Postma tried unsuccessfully to elicit a reaction from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Pentagon and the European Command of the US Army. The review sheets were also removed shortly after the article appeared.
