Ten former Air Force nuclear launch control officers on Thursday released a letter that said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump "should not have his finger on the button."
In the letter, which was first reported by the Washington Post, the missileers delivered a blistering assessment of Trump's temperament and judgment and concluded he should not be the commander-in-chief or "be entrusted with the nuclear launch codes." The letter can be read here.
"Only the president can order a nuclear launch," they said in the letter. "The pressures the system places on that one person are staggering and require enormous composure, judgment, restraint and diplomatic skill. Donald Trump does not have these leadership qualities. On the contrary, he has shown himself time and again to be easily baited and quick to lash out, dismissive of expert consultation and ill-informed of even basic military and international affairs – including, most especially, nuclear weapons."
The president's order to launch nuclear missiles "cannot be vetoed," and they cannot be recalled once launched, they said. An impulsive decision, poor judgment or miscalculation on the part of the president "could be catastrophic," they said.
One of the letter's signers is John Noonan, who was a missileer at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming from 2006 to 2010. Noonan was also the national security adviser for Trump's primary rival Jeb Bush and has been a vocal Trump critic on Twitter and elsewhere -- particularly raising concerns about Trump's attitudes towards nuclear weapons.
The other signers are Bruce Blair, who was at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana from 1972 to 1974; William DeGroodt, who was at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota from 1967 to 1972; Harvey Greenberg, who was at Minot from 1974 to 1977; Geoffrey Kanner, who was at Malmstrom from 1980 to 1984; Louis Lussky, who was at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota from 1971 to 1976; Michael Miller, who was at F.E. Warren from 2009 to 2013; James Robertson, who was at Malmstrom from 1999 to 2003; Edward Warren, who was at F.E. Warren from 2008 to 2013; and Brian Weeden, who was at Malmstrom from 2000 to 2003.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
