Although not a 'special operation' in a true sense, this was a covert op by the United States government, and was shrouded in total secrecy. The mission had a higher classification than the invasion of South Korea.

In February, 1994, Elwood Gift, a US scientist, took a trip to the secret city of Ust-Kamenogorsk in the Republic of Kazakhstan, what he saw was a terrorist incident waiting to happen. A month before, a fax arrived to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory from the American embassy in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. It said that there were rumors of a cache of weapons-grade uranium, from a secret Soviet Navy project from years ago, was sitting virtually unguarded in downtown Ust-Kamenogorsk. The Department of Energy (DOE) dispatched Alex Riedy to look into the matter. Taking him a month to reach Kazakhstan alone, he was taken to the once secret city. Ust-Kamenogorsk lies approximately 150 miles downwind of the former Soviet nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk. During the Cold War it was officially known as Mailbox Ten. Neverthless, upon arrival, Riedy was taken to the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in an abandoned industrial section of the town. A plant official unlocked the door, and Riedy stepped in. What he found himself in was a vault, twenty feet wide, and about thirty-five feet wide, with a 25-foot ceiling. It was lighted by small light bulbs, but even in the poor ligh he could see hundreds of shiny steel cans of varying sizes stacked everywhere. Passing through another door, the same sight awaited him, and into the next vault, still the same. Dust had settled onto many of the cans. These cans contained 90% enriched uranium, perfect for constructing nuclear weapons. What was worse, was that no one had kept any records of the number of cans, so any amount might be missing and no one would ever find out. Taking samples from the uranim pellets, and performing simple tests, Alex Riedy did in fact establish that this was uranium.

The uranium was left over from project 'Goldfish' of the Soviet Navy, and it was to be used in the new attack submarine, the Alpha Class, which could easily outrun Western subs. The plant he was standing in at that moment, was responsible for manufacturing the enriched uranim for the special power plant of the Alpha Class submarines. When the Soviet Union dissolved, the uranium was just left there, and everyone forgot about it.

Riedy realized that this material had to be shipped back to the United States. What he needed was a team that could re-package the uranium into American containers, and measure them carefully so that they wouldn't go 'critical' or explode by themselves. And if this material was to get to te United States before a terrorist group got their hands on it, the operation had to be kept secret. Riedy chose the code-name 'Sapphire' for the operation.

The uranium had to be transported quickly. Riedy had counted about about 360 canisters, which could easily fit aboard a C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft. He paid another visit to Kazakhstan, and started counting. The news was bad. The total number of containers was 1,050. Any hope for a small operation with fourteen people disappeared. Wasting no time he set out to put together his team and equipment. Aircraft from the 9th Airlift Squadron from Dover AFB, would be flying the team in and the material out.

An equipment list was put together. The workers would have to be adequately shielded from the radioactive materials. They would have to wear respirators as samples revealed traces of beryllium in the air. If beryllium is breathed in, in creates berylliosis, in which the victims' lungs seize up and they slowly choke to death. They also had to invent portable "hoods" which are clear containers of thick plastic, with rubber gloves protruding inside so that dangerous materials can be handled in an environment with negative air pressure. Lighting, heaters, air filters, fuel for generators, first aid, cross-training of team members were all considered and worked out. In six weeks, Riedy had a mobile nuclear laboratory he could get to Kazakhstan. Now all that was needed was Presidential authorization. Equipment was trucked to McGee Tyson AFB in case the operation was a go.

A few days later, President Clinton signed the order, and the equipment and personnel were all moved the Air Force base. On Monday, October 8, the first of the black C-5 transports lifted off. Upon arriving to Kazakhstan, the team and the equipment were transported in trucks to the warehouse at night. Police cars blocked every major intersection, and special MVD troops followed the convoy ready to repel an armed attack. The lab was set up, and work began.

The sequence went like this. In the 'hood', the Russian container was opened and the contents were emptied. Then it was weighed to make sure no more than 30 pounds went in, and finally, the material was placed and sealed into an American container. The work was repetitive, and went on for days. The team was working against time, trying to finish before the winter blizzards arrived. If they weren't done in about two weeks, they would be trapped. The workers stayed at a local hotel, with, what they presumed, was a special security detail brought in for their protection. One week before Thanksgiving, the final container was sealed and packed. The C-5s started their flight back to Kazakhstan.

An ex-KGB officer and one of the Americans prepared the best route to the airport. This would be the best time for a hijack, with all the uranium carefully packed and organized. They identified ambush spots, radio coverage, best routes and everything else that was deemed important. Finally, as soon as one of the C-5s landed, half the load was sent to the airport, escorted by a heavily armed convoy of Kazakh MVD and elite Army troops. The trip would have to be repeated for the other half of the load. When everything was loaded up by the end of the day, the airplanes carefully took off and set out for the United States. KC-10 tanker aircraft refueled the C-5s along the way, and after forty-five days, Project Sapphire wound to an end.

Information provided courtesy of Peter Tomich

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