Underscoring what Gates said Thursday was a continuing problem, the same Air Force unit involved in that incident, the 5th Bomb Wing, failed its nuclear safety inspection last month.
Donald's report also detailed an Air Force shipment of nuclear bomb fuses, or triggers, to Taiwan in March 2006.
Taiwan had requested helicopter batteries, but the fuses were sent in a mix-up by the Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency. The error was discovered only two months ago.
The fuses are essentially electronic devices that do not contain any nuclear material, but their design is highly classified. The fuses were not tampered with and have been returned, Gates said.
Both incidents "represent a significant failure to ensure the security of sensitive military components," he told a hastily assembled news briefing Thursday.
Visibly angry, Gates said the two incidents reflect "a decline in the Air Force's nuclear mission focus and performance ... a degradation of authority, standards of excellence and technical competence."
Wynne and Moseley will stay on until new leaders are named, but Morrell said Gates wants to put new leaders in place "very soon," possibly as early as Monday.
The fates of "several" Air Force generals and some lower-ranking officers singled out for criticism in the report will be determined by the new Air Force leadership, Morrell said. He declined to identify the officers publicly.
Morrell said Gates had already spoken about his choices to President Bush, who would make the nominations and send them to the Senate for confirmation.
Donley served as comptroller of the Air Force under President George H.W. Bush and was acting Air Force secretary for seven months during that time.
He served on the National Security Council in the White House during the Reagan administration.
david.wood@baltsun.com
