PENTAGON MISSING NUCLEAR BOMB COMPONENTS

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US military authorities are unable to find hundreds of nuclear missile components, The Financial Times reported in its online edition Thursday, but the Pentagon shrugged it off as simple record-keeping woes.

The US air force has not located these registered components in its inventories, according to a Pentagon report which, according to some sources, puts the number of missing components at more than 1,000, the FT reported.

The Defense Department acknowledged having inventory problems but without confirming problems with nuclear components.

"A record keeping of components was identified as a weakness, but there is a significant difference between missing items and not having a full, complete paper trail for every component," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.