A mockup of a Minuteman 3 nuclear missile is used for training by missile maintenance crews at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. U.S. officials say the number of Air Force service members implicated in a nuclear-force cheating scandal has roughly doubled from the 34 initially cited by the Air Force. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the additional 30-plus airmen implicated in an investigation into cheating on proficiency tests are alleged to have participated in the cheating directly or were involved in some indirect way.WASHINGTON – The cheating scandal inside the Air Force’s nuclear missile corps is expanding, with the number of service members implicated by investigators now roughly double the 34 reported just a week ago, officials said Tuesday.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the additional 30-plus airmen suspected of being involved in cheating on proficiency tests are alleged to have participated in the cheating directly or were involved indirectly.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information by name while the investigation is ongoing.
The Air Force announced on Jan. 15 that while it was investigating possible criminal drug use by some airmen, it discovered that one missile officer at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., had shared test questions with 16 other officers. It said another 17 admitted to knowing about this cheating but did not report it.
The 34 officers had their security clearances suspended and they were taken off missile launch duty. The Air Force did not respond to questions by The Associated Press on Tuesday about whether the additional people implicated in the investigation have also been taken off launch duty.