Cheating on tests at US N-facility was common, ex-officers say

US Air Force officers operating nuclear-armed missiles at a base in Montana cheated for years on monthly readiness tests, but rarely faced punishment even though some commanders were aware of the misconduct, according to a media report today.
According to three former officers, two of whom served at Malmstrom in the last decade, said that cheating on the three monthly written tests was so commonplace that officers who declined to participate were the exception.
Their assertions shed new light on a cheating scandal involving 34 officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, who are under investigation for improperly sharing information about exam questions and failing to report the alleged misconduct, The Los Angeles Times reported.

"Everybody cheats on every test that they can, and they have for decades," said one former officer who served at Malmstrom from 2006 to 2010, and said he had cheated on tests.
"Maybe five per cent [of the officers] don't. But they know about it," the officer, who did not want to be identified, citing fear of retribution by the Air Force.
The cheating scandal came to light when Air Force investigators looking into drug possession involving two Malmstrom officers came across text messages in which dozens of officers allegedly shared details about a test last September, officials said.

Another former officer, Brian Weeden, who served at the base from 2001 to 2004, said that ploys to score higher ranged from exchanging tips about difficult questions on upcoming tests to actually sharing answers, which he called "much more rare."

The practice is so ingrained, Weeden said, that commanders of launch teams would sometimes look over a junior member's test before it was turned in. The goal was to ensure it contained no mistakes that might reflect badly on the team, thereby helping everyone's career.
"I know a couple of commanders - and I did this a couple of times - who said before their deputy's test was turned in, 'Let me see it,' and told them go back and look at a question" that was answered incorrectly, Weeden said.
A third former officer, Bruce Blair, said, "There were hundreds of officers at my wing at Malmstrom, and I don't think that I know anybody who didn't cheat."

The tests - covering missile safety, code handling and launch procedures - are used to measure the readiness of more than 500 launch officers.