Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Home > Issues > National Security > Bangor Submarine Accident
Issues
National Security
Statement on Briefing by Navy About Bangor Missile Accident
19 March 2004
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (WA-01) received a classified briefing today, along with U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (WA-06), from Navy Admiral Charles Young regarding the reported incident involving a damaged nuclear missile at Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
Said Inslee, “Congressman Dicks and I received a very detailed briefing today giving us the exact details regarding the incident that occurred on November 7 at Bangor. After that briefing the following is apparent to me:
First, the Navy needs to find a better way to provide information about incidents of this nature to Congress, so that Congress can properly conduct our oversight responsibility, and make any changes necessary in the rules to ensure that proper notification to the public occurs. There is simply no excuse to have a delay of this length in notifying Congress and the public in a secure way.
Second, the breach of procedures of this nature appropriately called for the Navy to make personnel changes, which the Navy did.
Third, the nature of the incident required the Navy to conduct a thorough, comprehensive and aggressive review of all of its procedures involving missile unloading to assure that we have the requisite degree of redundancy and safety that is needed when handling this potentially very dangerous material. It appears to me that the Navy has recognized the severity of this breach of responsibility by reviewing these procedures in intimate detail.
This incident is troubling to me. Given the potential severity of any release of toxic material from these missile operations, it is important to insist that the Navy exercises the ultimate degree of safety redundancy. Our citizens are owed this level of safety. It should be noted that the Navy is capable of the highest degree of safety operations, as witnessed by some of its recent successes on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson and other vessels. We expect that degree of safety in all circumstances.”