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| Adm. John M. Richardson, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. The Navy is investigating alleged cheating on tests by senior enlisted sailors training on naval nuclear reactors at Charleston, S.C., officials said Tuesday |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- The Navy said Tuesday it is investigating about 30 senior
sailors linked to alleged cheating on tests meant to qualify them to
train others to operate naval nuclear power reactors. Representing
roughly one-fifth of the reactor training contingent, sidelining 30 may
put a pinch on the Navy's training program, senior officials said.
It
is the second exam-cheating scandal to hit the military this year, on
top of a series of disclosures in recent months of ethical lapses at all
ranks in the military.
Unlike an Air Force
cheating probe that has implicated nearly 100 officers responsible for
land-based nuclear missiles that stand ready for short-notice launch,
those implicated in the Navy investigation have no responsibility for
nuclear weapons. The Air Force probe is centered on Malmstrom Air Force
Base, Mont., but could spread to its two other nuclear missile bases in
North Dakota and Wyoming.
The Navy said the
implicated sailors are accused of having cheated on written tests they
must pass to be certified as instructors at a nuclear propulsion school
at Charleston, S.C. The Navy uses two nuclear reactors there to train
sailors for duty aboard any of dozens of submarines and aircraft
carriers around the world whose on-board reactors provide propulsion.
They are not part of any weapons systems.
The
accused sailors previously had undergone reactor operations training at
Charleston before deploying aboard a nuclear-power vessel. In the normal
course of career moves, they returned to Charleston to serve as
instructors, for which they must pass requalification exams.
Adm.
John Richardson, director of the Navy's nuclear propulsion program,
said an undisclosed number of senior sailors are alleged to have
provided test information to their peers. He was not more specific, but
one official said the information was shared from the sailors' home
computers, which could be a violation of security rules because
information about nuclear reactors operations is classified.
"That'll
be an active part of the investigation to fully understand" the extent
of any security rule violations, Richardson said.
Richardson
said the alleged cheating came to light Monday when a senior enlisted
sailor at the Charleston training site reported the cheating to higher
authorities. Richardson said the unidentified sailor "recognized that
this was wrong" and chose to report it.
The matter was still under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Adm.
Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations, told reporters at a
Pentagon news briefing, where he was accompanied by Richardson, that he
was upset to learn of the breakdown in discipline.
"To
say I am disappointed would be an understatement," Greenert said. "We
expect more from our sailors - especially our senior sailors."
Neither
Greenert nor Richardson identified the rank of the alleged cheaters but
described them as senior enlisted members. There are about 150 nuclear
power reactor instructors at the Charleston site. With about 30 of them
banned, at least temporarily, from performing their duties, the training
program might suffer.
"I could possibly foresee an impact in Charleston," Richardson said. "We'll see if that is broader."
Pressed
to say how many sailors were implicated in the investigation,
Richardson said a "ballpark figure" was something like 12 to 20. But a
short time later another Navy official said the number was approximately
30 but could change as the investigation unfolds. The official spoke on
condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to
discuss publicly any details beyond what Richardson and Greenert
disclosed at their news conference.
Richardson
said he could not discuss possible disciplinary action against those
involved because the probe was ongoing. However, he said that anyone in
the naval nuclear power program - either in a training setting or aboard
a ship at sea - who is caught cheating would usually be removed from
the program and "generally" would be kicked out of the Navy.
The
decision to have Greenert and Richardson announce the cheating
investigation publicly was a sign of how seriously the Navy takes the
matter.
