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.
The Air Force is planning to invest nearly $1.7 billion to continue modernizing the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers over the next five years, revising earlier plans to retire those aircraft before the B-21 Raider is fielded in bulk.