A number of United States Navy sailors have been suspended and are under investigation for allegations that they cheated on qualifying exams to teach and train nuclear propulsion team members.
Chief Naval Officer Adm. Jonathan Greenert and one of his top admirals filed into the Pentagon briefing room on Tuesday — just the way his counterpart in the Air Force did last week — to tell the public about the cheating scandal among the ranks at Naval Weapons Station Charleston in South Carolina.
About 30 engineering watch supervisors have had the access to the site removed, a Navy official said. There are about 150 qualified engineering watch supervisors at Charleston.
The nuclear propulsion program is responsible for running and maintaining the nuclear reactors that power the Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers. The tests are not related to nuclear weapons. Adm. John Richardson, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, said so far there is only evidence of cheating among the staff, not the students.
“I’m hesitant to give you a number right now,” he said, adding that the Navy was alerted to the alleged cheating on Monday from a sailor who was troubled by it. Investigators will also be looking at whether the cheating was contained to Charleston or other Navy bases as well. There are about 16,000 sailors in the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.
Full article: Cheating Scandal Spreads to the Navy’s Nuclear Fleet (Defense One)
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