Sleeping nuke handlers' pay docked

MINOT, N.D., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Three U.S. military missile crew members have been punished for sleeping while on duty with classified components, officials said.

Two Navy first lieutenants and a captain fell asleep on July 12 while in control of a classified electronic part that contained old launch codes for intercontinental nuclear missiles at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, The Air Force Times reported Friday.

Military rules require that at least two of the officers must remain awake while in control of the items that contain superseded missile launch codes for Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In addition to having their pay docked for two months, they Navy personnel lost their certification in the Personnel Reliability Program, making them ineligible to work with nuclear weapons, the newspaper reported.

"We hold everyone involved in this mission to the highest standards of performance and accountability every day, and we will not tolerate substandard performance," Maj. Gen. Roger Burg said.