Year 2000 Problem Plagues Pentagon

The U.S. agency managing the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile is testing its most critical computers, after Pentagon inspectors discovered nobody had verified whether key systems could withstand year 2000 problems. The Pentagon’s Inspector General’s Office found only 25% of the agency’s “mission critical” defense computer systems had been tested before being certified as Y2K compliant. A Defense Department spokesman noted that any computer failure by the nuclear stockpile agency wouldn’t affect the command and control of nuclear weapons. However, the inspector general’s report warned, “systems may unexpectedly fail because they were classified as Y2K compliant without adequate basis.”