In December, he authorized the carriage of non-nuclear components on board the Midway-class carriers.[62] In April 1951, the AEC released nine Mark 4 weapons to the Air Force in case the Soviet Union intervened in the war in Korea.[63] These were flown to Guam, where they were maintained by the Air Force special weapons unit there.[64] Thus, at the end of 1951, there were 429 weapons in AEC custody and nine held by the Department of Defense.[65]