Orlando, Fla. After visiting numerous missile bases and talking with many airmen in the wake of a widespread cheating scandal at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she is convinced the overall nuclear enterprise is “safe and secure,” despite the “absolute failure of integrity” by those involved. “One test doesn’t make or break anything,” she said. The vast majority of airmen in nuclear career fields know their job and “are performing magnificently,” she said. James said she’ll be pushing a new program of integrity training for those airmen who “need to be reminded” of USAF core values. She also expects to get the results of multiple investigations, currently underway, in March, adding “people will be held accountable,” she said.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…