Did a UFO Nearly Trigger a Nuclear Crisis? Insider Stories
In a recent interview, Robert Hastings, author of the well-known book UFOs and Nukes, shared interesting claims about unidentified flying objects interfering with U.S. nuclear missiles, raising concerns about national security.
Hastings, a respected researcher on military encounters with advanced technology, spoke with psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove about incidents where UFOs reportedly tampered with nuclear weapons, including a near-catastrophic event at Minot Air Force Base.
Hastings recounted a 2007 interview with retired Air Force Captain David Shuur, a former missile launch officer stationed at Echo Flight, which controlled 10 Minuteman nuclear missiles. Shuur described a chilling moment when a security guard reported a glowing, disk-shaped object hovering above a missile site.
Almost instantly, Shuur’s launch console showed a “launch-in-progress” light, suggesting the missile was activating on its own. “No sooner had he gotten that message down on his launch console in the capsule, that missile’s light lit up, what’s called launch-in-progress light, and to all intents and purposes, it appeared that missile was launching,” Hastings said.
Fortunately, Shuur quickly flipped an inhibit switch to stop the missile, preventing a potential nuclear apocalypse. “Captain Shuur flipped what’s called an inhibit switch and stopped that progression to countdown,” Hastings recalled.
During the Cold War, if the Soviet Union had detected a U.S. missile launch, it could have triggered a massive retaliation, like one country thinking another had thrown the first punch in a fight.
Hastings also mentioned a similar account from another former launch officer, Captain Larry Manross, who reported a nearly identical event at Minot during the same period.
“There is another former launch officer who was at Minot during the same time frame, his name’s Larry Manross, former captain, and he has confirmed that the same thing happened in his capsule,” Hastings said. However, without exact dates, it’s unclear if these were the same or separate incidents.
Hastings also highlighted a more recent case from October 2010 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. On October 23, 2010, The Atlantic reported that five missile alert facilities lost communication with the base, meaning they couldn’t receive launch orders if needed.
“In October 23rd of 2010, the Atlantic website had a dramatic story based on leaked information that five of these MAFs, missile alert facilities, suddenly could not communicate with F.E. Warren Air Force Base,” Hastings noted.
During this time, two missile maintenance technicians saw a massive cigar-shaped object in the sky above the missile field, coinciding with the communication failure.
“These two missile maintenance technicians were out in the field addressing this communication issue. And both of them reported seeing what was described as a huge cigar shaped object flying in the sky above the missile field when these technical issues were cropping up.”
Many people hope UFOs might bring solutions to global problems, like a superhero swooping in to save the day. However, Hastings pointed out there’s no evidence of UFOs delivering aid, stopping wars, or helping during natural disasters like tsunamis.
Instead, some encounters seem harmful, leaving people shaken or injured. Claims that UFOs clean up radiation at disaster sites, such as Chernobyl, persist in conspiracy theories, but those areas remain contaminated. Hastings questioned the idea of benevolent aliens. Their actions, such as interfering with nuclear missiles, could pose serious dangers.
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which investigates unidentified aerial phenomena, acknowledged the difficulty in studying these cases due to limited evidence.
“Like all historical UAP cases, very little actionable data exists beyond limited firsthand narrative accounts,” their report stated. Still, AARO continues to investigate because these incidents could affect the U.S. nuclear program’s readiness.
