On August 30, 2003, a Russian nuclear-powered submarine K-159 sank in the Barents Sea, which　killed 9 people of the 10-member crew on board. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov arrived at the accident site on the day when the disaster happened.

After initial investigation, he declared seriously that it was absolutely caused by human negligence and non-compliance with operational rules and that every safety operational measure was violated during the journey.

Weapons, especially high-tech ones, have intricate internal systems and mutual dependent integrated efficiency system, whose operations must observe start-up processes. In order to ensure the normal, safe use of weapons and their functional performance, all weapons have been given a set of scientific, strict rules and regulations to be observed. Their operators have to abide by them by the book if these weapons are to function normally and safely. If regulations are violated, the best results are the loss of weapons' functionality and the worst are the death of their operators themselves and the destruction of the weapons. In times of war, the consequence can be much more serious. On the night of October 24, 1944 during the World War II, a U.S. submarine found a Japanese transport fleet. Its captain made an immediate decision to torpedo the fleet. Unfortunately, the fired torpedo made a U-turn soon after it was launched and hit the submarine itself, which sunk the submarine and killed most of the crewmembers on board. According to investigations and analyses after the end of the World War II, mechanical failures caused by operational problems resulted in the torpedo hitting the submarine itself.

Non-compliance with regulations and technical specifications, which resulted in vehicle destruction and human casualties, are apparently caused by accidental negligence of operation and disrespect of science. Actually, it is an inevitable result of loose implementation of rules and regulations. As an important part of military regulatory systems, operational guidelines and specifications governing the use of weapons are a result of summarizing experimental and practical experience and must be obeyed. Any negligence, indiscretion or violation making a mockery of military rules and regulations will cause unthinkable tragic consequences.

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