By Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter The Air Force has fired nine mid-level nuclear commanders and will discipline dozens of junior officers at a nuclear missile base in Montana after an exam-cheating scandal that spanned two years. Air Force officials called the moves unprecedented in the history of the intercontinental ballistic missile force. None of the nine commanders fired from Malmstrom Air Force Base were directly involved in the cheating, but each was determined to have failed in his or her leadership responsibilities. Officials originally said the cheating happened in August or September last year. But investigators determined that it in fact spanned from as early as November 2011 until November 2013, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to reveal details before James' announcement.
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The commanders were fired from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana Thursday
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None were directly involved in the cheating but failed in their leadership roles, officials decided
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The cheating was originally thought to have happened in August or September last year, but in fact went from November 2011 until late 2013
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It involved unauthorized passing of answers to exams designed to test missile launch officers' proficiency in handling 'emergency war orders'
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The most senior person implicated was the commander of Malmstrom's 341st Missile Wing, Col. Robert Stanley, who has resign
When the cheating was first revealed, Air Force leaders condemned it as violating the most basic @placeholder values.