News of six nuclear bombs mistakenly flown across the Midwest a couple of weeks ago is, in a word, frightening.

The fact that the Pentagon admitted it didn't know how the mishap occurred is a chilling reminder of the fragility of our nuclear arms policy.

In a Cold War-era agreement, the U.S. banned the transport of nuclear weapons in our airspace during peacetime. So to learn that six nuclear warheads were inadvertentely flown by a B-52 bomber from North Dakota to Louisiana rightly caused a flurry of concern over safety precautions and security.

Military officials relieved the munitions commander from duty and said the weapons were armed with safety devices designed to prevent accidental detonation.

That's not much comfort. As Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee puts it: "The American people, our friends, and our potential adversaries must be confident that the highest standards are in place when it comes to our nuclear arsenal."

Amid promises of investigations and classified talks, Congress should carefully examine our nuclear policy. With an arsenal of 10,000 nuclear weapons, the arms-control plan once successful under Republican presidents during the Cold War now has no traction with the Bush administration. And, as experts have stressed, nuclear weapons are of little use in dealing with terrorists and rogue regimes.

A "stockpile" mentality has inspired countries such as North Korea and Iran to work toward arsenals of their own. If such disturbing mistakes can happen here, imagine what can happen in other nations where security measures are far less stringent.

In our effort to take stock of our own safeguards, Congress must also consider our responsibility to lead the way in a global reduction of nuclear weapons — with peace as the ultimate goal.