That's quite an ante, Vice Admiral Giardina.

The second-in-command of all U.S. nuclear war-fighting forces has been suspended and is the subject of an ongoing investigation after it came to light that he has been involved in a gambling operation. Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina was suspended on September 3rd, but the Naval Criminal Investigation Command just publicly announced today that he is no longer involved with the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Two senior U.S. officials anonymously told the Associated Press that the reason for Giardina's suspension was gambling.

Giardina is still assigned to the post, but is prohibited from "performing duties related to nuclear weapons and other issues requiring a security clearance," according to Strategic Command's spokeswoman, Navy Capt. Pamela Kunze. Strategic Command is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

An investigation by local law enforcement into Giardina's gambling activities began in June, and was brought to the attentions of Strategic Command in July. Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS!) then took over the investigation.

Expect to see this all dramatized shortly on the new CBS show, NCIS: Omaha.