Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
8/29/2014
A month-long Navy investigation has resulted in the expulsion of 34 sailors and a criminal investigation into 10 of the most serious cases in connection with a cheating ring reported in February. Completed in March, the investigation found that a “Pencil File” containing past Engineering Watch Supervisor (EWS) exams and answer keys most likely disappeared sometime between 2004 and 2006, and circulated for at least seven years among several soldiers training aboard Moored Training Ship (MTS) 626. Sailors used personal email and other electronic media to exchange the file and cheat on EWS written qualification tests, which remained largely unmodified from 2004 until an unnamed chief electronics technician reported the cheating in February.
The report was released Aug. 20. “The problem was, in this case, it was taken off a controlled system and put outside, and it was being communicated outside of the Navy’s official lines of communication, and so it was very difficult to detect and very closely held by the people involved,” Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program spokesperson Tom Dougan said. The implicated sailors were not responsible for nuclear weapons.
Extensive Interviews Conducted
The cheating exclusively involved fleet-experienced senior enlisted staff instructors training aboard MTS 626, one of two ship prototypes at the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU), the investigation states. NPTU, as well as another Charleston-based investigation team, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and multiple representatives from fleet homeports conducted more than 950 total interviews on over 800 personnel. Dougan said investigators could not pinpoint the exact start date of the cheating. “The investigation concludes that preventing cheating requires an effective defense-in-depth involving not only physical examination security and personal integrity, but also measures to discourage the motivation to cheat should even these changing exam questions and avoiding predictability of examinations, are in effect in the fleet,” the investigation document states.
Despite his responsibility as the approving official, the executive officer who oversaw test coordination was unaware of the cheating. “It happened over a very long period of time, and he’s been in this position for a very small portion of time,” Dougan said. “He wasn’t punished in that sense. What we did put into place is stronger administrative and technological security controls over the exam, so we’re essentially reducing the likelihood that people have access.”
Thirty-two personnel aboard MTS-626 “were proven” to have knowledge of the scheme, the investigation states. Seven of those sailors cited fear of repercussions as the reason for failing to report the cheating, and the whistleblower said he initially hesitated because of how widespread he thought the deception was. Media reports of Air Force officers who cheated on nuclear weapons qualification exams eventually motivated the sailor to come forward. The investigation states: “This increased his concern enough about being caught to outweigh the group behavior of his peers.”
32 Sailors Exonerated
Of the 78 total sailors involved in the cheating, 32 were exonerated, and two of the 36 perpetrators had their punishments suspended “based on their minimal involvement in the incident and their strong potential for rehabilitation.” Speaking in February, Naval Reactors chief Adm. John Richardson said the Navy’s last cheating incident involved a submarine crew in 2010. “Integrity is a foundational element of our program, and when confronted with problems, we respond aggressively and forcefully,” he said. Officials initially believed 20 to 30 sailors to be involved in the cheating.
When asked if the Navy asked the Air Force for any morale improvement advice in the wake of the cheating scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Dougan declined to directly respond because of an ongoing “broader review” undertaken by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s office. “We certainly looked into everything that we can find in terms of improving integrity and taking the lessons that we’ve learned as more of those things have come out publicly,” Dougan said.
