Associated Press reports that USAF has allowed two Air Force officers who stole classified material from a Minuteman III launch facility to resign. Capt. Paul Borowiecki left the service in September and Capt. Javed Abbas in December, USAF told AP. Both had been assigned to the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., when they decided to take as souvenirs obsolete launch control devices that were used to detect equipment tampering. In 2008 USAF earlier acknowledged that Borowiecki was to face a court-martial, but the service did not identify the second officer. The two, who stole the devices in 2005 rather than destroying them as required, elected to resign rather than accept court-martial. In a statement USAF told AP that “acceptance of these officers’ requests for resignation and directing their administrative discharge from the Air Force was an appropriate resolution for this matter.”
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.