The United States' Air Farce

On Thursday, March 27, at Malmstrom Air Force base, nine officers were fired for cheating on a monthly proficiency test. This was no small, unimportant test either, it was testing the officers on "the launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles"(NY Times Article). When dealing with ballistic missiles, it is crucial to operate it correctly, as the missile is intended to hit multiple targets. The officers at Malmstrom are considered 21st century minute men, and must be prepared at all times for to operate, especially with little notice. Cheating on this test not only ended their careers, but put the lives of innocent Americans at risk. These men took an oath to protect their country, and completely disregarded it by cheating.

What comes as even more of a surprise is that their Commander, Col. Robert Stanley, knew about the cheating, and did not stop it. Although only nine men were fired as of now, 82 of Stanley's other officers are under investigation. Whether we can say if it was he who provided answers, it is unclear. Stanley has been relieved from his duty. Although we do not know who is behind the cheating, we do know how they cheated.

Answers to these monthly tests were sent through text messages to the cheating officers. As I mentioned in my most recent blog, smart phones may be making us dumber. This is yet another example of how technology can be seen as evil and unhelpful. More and more information will inevitably come out in the near future, but this is already being seen as the "largest number of dismissals in the history of the ICBM force""(NY Times Article).