U.S. Strategic Command apologized Monday evening for a New Year’s Eve tweet that served as a casual reminder of its capacity to drop catastrophic bombs.
“Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values,” tweeted the unified command, one of 10 at the Pentagon, which this year took responsibility for overseeing nuclear command, control and communications. “We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.”
The original tweet boasted: “#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball … if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger. Watch to the end! @AFGlobalStrike @Whiteman_AFB #Deterrence #Assurance #CombatReadyForce #PeaceIsOurProfession …”
It included video of B-2 Stealth Bomber dropping large payloads. The original tweet was deleted, but some Twitter observers captured it for posterity.
“Peace is our Profession” is Strategic Command’s motto (without the ellipsis).
The tweets came on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ last day in the job, after he resigned in part because of policy disagreements over Syria with President Donald Trump. Patrick Shanahan, Mattis’ deputy, will take over as acting secretary on Tuesday.
The Pentagon announced that it would get a new spokesman starting Tuesday as well — Charles Summers. Current spokeswoman Dana White tweeted on Monday: “I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by this administration to serve alongside Secretary Mattis, our Service members and all the civilians who support them. It has been my honor and privilege. Stay safe and God bless.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine
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Source: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/31/military-strategic-command-bomb-tweet-1077361
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The Article Was Written/Published By: eokun@politico.com (Eli Okun)
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