Taking Action

Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson has asked Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, the vice commander of Air Education and Training Command, to lead an investigation into training and testing procedures at AFGSC as well as the leadership environment, he told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. “He and his team are en route, as we speak, to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, (Wyo.), where they’ll meet with 20th Air Force. Then they’ll go to all the missile bases as well as Vandenberg Air Force Base,” said Wilson. The goal, he added, is to identify the “root causes” that led to 92 nuclear launch officers at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., to either cheat on a monthly proficiency exam or fail to report the cheating. Holmes is to report back to Wilson in the next month. Wilson said he plans to take “deliberate and swift action” on whatever information Holmes brings forth. In addition, Wilson has implemented a “force improvement plan” that calls for “small working groups of junior officers and junior airmen from operations, maintenance, security forces, and mission support” to “identify challenges” and propose solutions. The working groups will report directly to Wilson, who said he expects initial reports back by February. “Our nation demands and deserves the highest standards and accountability from the force entrusted with the most powerful weapons in the world,” he added.