In an unprecedented move, US Air Force has fired nine top commanders in the wake of a major scandal involving systemic cheating on proficiency tests by officers in the US nuclear missile programme as early as 2011.
The fired officers were in "leadership positions" at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said.
Though not directly involved in cheating, "they failed to provide adequate oversight of their crew force," she said yesterday.
In addition, Col. Robert Stanley -- head of the 341st Missile Wing and a 25-year veteran -- "relinquished command" and submitted his resignation, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, the commander of the Air Force's Global Strike Command.
"Leadership's focus on perfection led commanders to micromanage their people," said Wilson, pointing to pressure to get 100 per cent scores on monthly proficiency exams when only 90 per cent was necessary to pass.
James said that 100 lower-level officers were at one point implicated in the ordeal -- having either been accused directly of cheating or having looked the other way. Nine of those have been cleared and will be allowed to return to duty, while others could face punishments ranging from letters of counseling to courts-martial on various charges, CNN reported.
US media said the sacking of nine top commanders was unprecedented in the history of America's intercontinental ballistic missile force.
Military investigators stumbled into the cheating scandal while looking into alleged drug activity involving airmen.
Authorities previously said the cheating took place last August and September at the Montana base, with officers using texts and pictures to cheat on their proficiency exams.
But Wilson said yesterday that such behavior actually went well beyond that, having occurred as far back as November 2011 and as recently as November 2013.
The whole Malmstrom scheme centered on four individuals, three of whom were being investigated in the drug probe, according to Wilson.
"If we would have removed those, then this incident probably would never have happened," he added.
About 190 officers oversee the readiness of nuclear weapons systems at the Montana base, meaning the episode tainted a large percentage of that force in some way.
The Air Force officials said investigators did not find any indication of similar cheating on other bases tied to the missile program, though they pointed to common issues elsewhere when it comes to the programme's management.
"Our nation demands and deserves the higher standards of accountability from the force entrusted with the most powerful weapon on the planet," Wilson said. "We are committed to living up to those standards.
