WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said on Thursday a total of 92 missile launch officers have been implicated in a widening scandal over exam cheating, well beyond the initial 34 officers placed under investigation.
The officers have been taken off their missile wing duties as a result of their ties to the cheating, which took place in a key proficiency exam, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told a Pentagon news briefing.
The Air Force and the Pentagon have assured the nuclear mission and the weapons themselves remain safe. But James has cited the likelihood of a "systemic" problem among the officers who oversee America's nuclear missiles.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
