Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
3/28/2014
Nine Air Force leaders have been removed from command and the commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base has resigned as a result of an investigation into widespread cheating among the ICBM force at Malmstrom. Air Force leaders unveiled the results of an Office of Special Investigations report on the cheating scandal this week, revealing that 79 missileers had cheated on proficiency exams or knew about the cheating and didn’t report it. The missileers will face a variety of punishments, ranging from letters of counsel to court martial, while the leaders will face administrative penalties. “None of these people were directly in involved in test compromise,” Maj. Gen. Stephen Wilson, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said of the removed leaders in a March 27 press conference. “However, they all failed adequate leadership, supervision and oversight of the crew force.”
Cleaning House
Col. Robert Stanley was the commander of the 341st Missile Wing who resigned late this week. The other leaders who were removed from command—majors, colonels and lieutenant colonels—included Col. Mark Schuler, the 341st Operations Group commander, as well as the group’s deputy commander. Additionally, the commanders of the 10th, 12th and 490th missile squadrons were relieved of their command, as was the commander of the 341st operational support squadron and the directors of operations for the 341st operational support squadron and the 10th missile squadron. The 341st Operations Group standardization and evaluation officer was also removed. “If I’m an operations commander, I ought to know what my crews are doing,” Wilson said. “I know enough detail of what they’re doing every single day, and they weren’t. They weren’t aware that this was going on in any way, shape or form, and we think they should have been aware.”
The cheating was uncovered during a drug investigation at Malmstrom, when investigators turned up information about proficiency exams on the cellphones of officers. Wilson said four missileers in particular had been at the heart of the cheating scandal, disseminating information about the tests through text messages and photos. He said the potential cheating dated to November 2011 and occurred as recently as November 2013. “Three of those individuals were also involved in illegal drug activity, potentially illegal drug activity,” he said. “If we would have removed those, then this incident probably would never have happened.”
Culture of Perfection Blamed
Wilson blamed part of the cheating scandal on a culture of perfection among missileers. Pressure for promotions had led officers to pressure subordinates to insist on perfect scores on the tests when 90 percent is passing, and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the testing program had been changed. Now, only pass-fail is recorded, though missileers still need to reach the 90 percent threshold on the tests. Greater emphasis is being placed on training and field evaluations. “Leaders lost sight of the fact that execution in the field is more important than what happens in the classroom,” Wilson said. “These were all bright officers. And as we’ve said before, none of these needed the information to pass the test. They felt compelled to cheat to get a perfect score.” Officials initially said 92 launch officers were looked at in the cheating probe, and this week they said that number grew to 100 before it was determined that 79 were involved.
Wilson said he was confident the cheating was isolated at Malmstrom, though reports in recent months have suggested that cheating has been widespread among the ICBM force for decades. “We went where the information went, and we found no evidence that it existed outside of Malmstrom,” Wilson said.
‘They’re Not Going to Get Solved Overnight’
James also said the Air Force was preparing to invest heavily into its ICBM force in an effort to improve the infrastructure at nuclear bases and boost morale, and an effort is underway to reinforce values and ethics within the Air Force. “The issues that we have before us today are tough, and they didn’t come overnight,” she said. “They’ve been years in the making. They’re not going to get solved overnight. While we have made progress in certain areas in recent years, there is more work to be done. And I am sure that we will get there because we’re going to provide the persistent focus and the persistent leadership that this deserves.”
She emphasized that the nation’s nuclear deterrent remains strong. “I want to reinforce with you that our Air Force nuclear deterrence mission is critical to national security, and it’s very strong,” she said. “And the reviews that we just conducted confirm this. Overall, I continue to have great confidence in this mission, as does the secretary of defense, and the way this mission is being performed.”
