America’s nuclear weapons are far more vulnerable to terrorists or deranged individuals than most people believe. Several airmen guarding U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) were reportedly tripping out on LSD.

Acid or LSD (D-lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic drug which alters the perception of reality. Acid is a powerful mood-altering drug that can make some people believe fantasy is real. It was discovered and synthesized by Albert Hofmann in the early 40s and famously used by Tim Leary and the hippies in the 1960s.

A military court-martial convicted six airmen from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base of using or distributing LSD, the Associated Press reported. The airmen apparently used LSD openly for many years and were even tripping out on the public streets in Denver.

“I absolutely just loved altering my mind.”

The 90thMissile Wing is in charge of 450 LGM-30G Minuteman 3 ICBMs housed in silos on the Great Plains. Each Minuteman 3 can deliver a nuclear warhead to any location on Earth.

News stories did not say what the airmen’s jobs were or how much contact they had with the nukes. Some of the Airmen were part of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron, a sort of SWAT team that is supposed to defend against terrorist attacks.

Disturbingly, the Air Force only learned about the LSD use from a social media post, the AP reported. A video of an airman smoking marijuana popped up on Snapchat which led investigators to the drug ring.  The airmen were abusing LSD because the Air Force had stopped “substance testing” for that drug.

“I absolutely just loved altering my mind,” one of those convicted, Airman 1st Class Nickolos A. Harris, told a military judge.

The airmen’s use of LSD was so blatant that they videotaped themselves using it, the AP reported. Airmen were allegedly tripping out at Curt Gowdy State Park, a public park in Wyoming. The F.E. Warren Air Force Base is located just outside of Cheyenne.

Most frightening was the behavior of Airman 1st Class Devin R. Hagarty, who deserted and fled to Mexico in an attempt to avoid prosecution. Hagarty was caught, convicted and sentenced to 13 months in a military jail for deserting as well as using and distributing LSD. After his arrest, Hagarty also admitted to using cocaine.

How Secure Are America’s Nukes?

The Air Force attempted to cover up the LSD incident. The AP only learned of the LSD problems by filing a Freedom of Information Act Request.

The LSD use was part of many behavioral problems in the 90th Missile Wing that included burnout, sexual assaults, domestic violence, and alcohol abuse, the AP reported. The AP has charged that the missile force, once an elite organization, has deteriorated badly since the end of the Cold War because the Pentagon’s attention has been focused on the war on terror.

If drug dealers and abusers can operate openly at a military base with nuclear weapons, so can terrorists or political extremists. A major fear is that terrorists would employ drug use to blackmail military personnel into giving them access to nukes.

Will Terrorists Get Nuclear Weapons?

Preparing for a nuclear attack by building a fallout shelter or taking other precautions makes more sense than most people believe. The nuclear weapons that are supposed to protect us might be in danger of falling into the wrong hands.

To add to the fear, the Pentagon has plans to build a new generation of smaller nuclear weapons that would be easier for terrorists to capture and use. Hopefully, the military personnel in charge of those nukes will not be tripping out on acid.

There is no evidence terrorists have gotten close to American nukes, but Al Qaeda terrorists nearly seized control of a warship that may have carried a nuclear missile in 2014. Journalist Steve Coll alleged that a renegade naval officer tried to let Al Qaeda gunmen onto the Pakistani frigate PNS Zulfiqar in September 2014 in his book Directorate S.

Indian intelligence officials told Coll that the Zulfiqar may have had a nuclear missile onboard, which is something that Pakistan’s government has denied. Fortunately, the terrorists were wiped out by Pakistan’s Special Air Services (SAS) before they could carry out their plans to turn the Zulfiqar’s weapons against U.S. naval vessels.

Most Americans think the danger posed by nuclear weapons is fear mongering or simply yesterday’s news. Being prepared for a nuclear attack, even if it’s initiated by tripped out airmen, would seem to make a lot of sense in today’s chaotic world.

Quick commentary: Rome fell, not because the empire was outgunned or outnumbered by barbarians. Rome fell because its citizens and its military felt it was no longer worth defending.  This is a moral issue and it bleeds into every area of life including our nation’s military. The story of Salvian the Presbyter is a grim reminder of Rome’s pathetic decline. It’s worth a read because we are there.