The US air force's two most senior officials have resigned after a report suggested it was performing poorly in its handling of nuclear arms and parts.
Gen T Michael Moseley, the chief of staff, and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, its top civilian official, both stood down.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the security of US nuclear weapons and parts had been in question.
One incident involved the sending of nuclear weapons fuses to Taiwan.
Speaking in Washington, Mr Gates said he had accepted the two men's resignations and that he would announce their replacements Ma inaugurated as Taiwan's president ...
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He also announced that 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".
Cruise missile mix-up
Mr Gates cited a shipment to Taiwan in which electrical fuses for ballistic missiles were mistakenly sent in the place of helicopter batteries as one embarrassing incident.
Another, he added, was a flight across the US by a B-52 bomber mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, without anyone realising the weapons were on board.
Three colonels, a lieutenant-colonel and 66 other personnel were punished following the incident at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, on 29 August last year.
In his resignation statement, Gen Moseley said:
"Recent events have highlighted a loss of focus on certain critical matters within the Air Force.
"As the Air Force's senior uniformed leader, I take full responsibility for events which have hurt the Air Force's reputation or raised a question of every airman's commitment to our core values...
"I think the honourable thing to do is to step aside..."
(BBC)
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