Air Force nuke crew failings worse than reported
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Failings exposed last spring at a U.S. nuclear missile base, reflecting what one officer called "rot" in the ranks, were worse than originally reported, according to Air Force documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Airmen responsible for missile operations at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., passed an inspection in March 2013 with a "marginal" rating, the equivalent of a "D'' in school. But it now turns out that even that was only because of good marks received by support staff like cooks and facilities managers, as well as a highly rated training program. Launch officers, or missileers, entrusted with the keys to the missiles did poorly and, on their own, would have flunked, the records show.
"Missileer technical proficiency substandard," one briefing slide says. "Remainder (of missile operations team) raised grade to marginal."
The documents also hint at an exam-cheating problem in the making among launch crews at Minot, almost a full year before allegations of widespread cheating erupted this January at a companion nuclear base in Montana.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/minot-nuke-crew-weaknesses-worse-reported
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