The former second-in-command of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal has been reprimanded and fined $4,000 for using fake poker chips and lying to an investigator. At the time of the incident, Rear Admiral Timothy Giardina was deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the entire U.S. fleet of nuclear weapons. By accepting his penalty from a superior officer, Giardina avoided a court-martial. His firing last fall came two days before the firing of Major General Michael Carey, commander of U.S. land-based nuclear missiles, for intoxication and other inappropriate behavior in Russia.