The men who have their fingers on the button have been cheating to keep them there.

Thirty-four nuclear missile launch officers have been stripped of their certification and duty after it was discovered they had been cheating on monthly required tests to maintain their positions.  The cheating was discovered during an unrelated investigation into drug use among Air Force officers.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters Wednesday that the officers were texting each other answers.  The tests were monthly exams on the operation of the missile systems.  In addition to the officers who actually cheated, any officer aware of the cheating who did not report the situation to superior officers were also removed from duty.

Three of the officers involved in the cheating scandal were also arrested as part of a drug sting that covered six bases in the U.S. and England.

The missile command system covers 450 nuclear missiles.