Washington (CNN)An
inactive Hellfire missile sent to Europe for training was inadvertently
shipped to Cuba, where it has remained since 2014, sources familiar
with the matter said Friday.
Hellfires
are air-to-ground missiles typically fired from helicopters. Although
initially designed as anti-tank weapons, they are often modernized and
currently deployed from drones in anti-terrorism operations.
The
missile wrongly sent to Cuba is called a Hellfire Captive Air Training
Missile (CATM), a "dummy missile" used in exercises. Sources said that
it contained an incomplete guidance section and was not fitted with a
warhead, fusing system rocket monitor or operational seeker -- all
components needed to successfully hit a target.
But
while it was not operational, the missile still contained sensitive
American weapons technology, such as targeting and sensor information,
that U.S. officials said would be concerning if it fell into the hands
of adversaries. The Wall Street Journal first reported the missile's
location.
"This is an issue that the
administration takes very, very seriously. I think for quite obvious
reasons," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday when asked
about the issue.
The
sources said the U.S. has been trying for more than a year to get the
Cuban government to return the missile. The delay could have been
complicated by the attention paid to the historic thaw between the U.S.
and Cuba last December, followed by the restoring of ties and opening of
embassies in Washington and Havana this summer.
One
source described the training missile as "fairly common" and noted that
the U.S. just notified Congress this week of a sale of such dummy
missiles along with active Hellfires to Iraq.
"The
manufacturer shipped the dummy missile to Europe for a NATO training
exercise in the summer of 2014," the source said. The missile was sent
to Spain for the exercise from Orlando, source said.
The
sources said the State Department, which oversees the sharing of
sensitive military technology with allies, approved a license for a
temporary export. Under the Arms Export Control Act, this licensing is
needed for any exports of such technology by U.S. companies.
During
its return from Rota, Spain, to the United States, the sources said
missile was misrouted by the cargo-shipping firm as it traveled from
Madrid for its flight back to Florida. Instead of flying from Madrid to
Frankfurt, Germany, and then back to Florida, the missile was misrouted
to Paris and on to Havana.
Upon
realizing the mistake, the company notified the U.S. government about
the error as it was required to do under its export license. Sources
said it is typically the responsibility of the company that holds the
license to retrieve the lost article. The company, however, asked for
help from the U.S. government because the missile was in Cuba, with
which the U.S. has only recently restored ties and where direct flights
between the U.S. and Havana do not currently operate under an aviation
agreement between the two countries.
"The
shipping was routine and by the book. When they became aware of the
misrouting, they notified the State Department. Since then, they have
actively cooperated in (U.S. government) efforts to both review the
incident and to recover the item," one of the sources said.
The
source continued, "As warranted, the department may support the U.S.
company's corrective efforts in carrying out our general mission to
further U.S. national security and foreign policy by assisting U.S.
companies overseas and ensuring compliance with the applicable laws."
David
McKeeby, a State Department spokesperson, said that by law he couldn't
comment on defense trade licensing cases and compliance issues.
But
he did say that "under the Arms Export Control Act, the Department
licenses permanent and temporary exports by U.S. companies of regulated
defense articles. U.S. companies are responsible for documenting their
proposed shipping logistics in the export license as well as reporting
any shipping deviations to the Department as appropriate.
The
sources said the Department of Homeland Security is investigating to
make sure the missile was not intentionally sent off course as part of
an espionage or criminal operation, rather than just an accidental
misrouting of the shipment. The Department of Justice, however, has the
lead in the investigation.
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