Washington ( CNN ) -- In an unprecedented action , an Air Force commander has stripped 17 of his officers of their authority to control and launch nuclear missiles . The 17 are being sent to undergo 60 to 90 days of intensive refresher training on how to do their jobs . The action comes after their unit performed poorly on an inspection and one officer was investigated for potential compromise of nuclear launch codes , according to Lt. Col. John Dorrian , an Air Force spokesman . The story was first reported by The Associated Press . The action was taken by the deputy commander of the 91st Operations Group , Lt. Col. Jay Folds , whose officers run launch control centers for the Minuteman III nuclear missiles from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota . Folds announced the action in an emotionally charged April e-mail to his unit , saying in part , `` Did you know that we , as an operations group , have fallen -- and its it time to stand ourselves back up ? '' In that e-mail , Folds said , `` We 're discovering such rot in the crew force , '' while they are on alert status -- standing watch over the nuclear force -- that the unit is accepting of violations of weapons safety rules , and code compromises . In words not often used by military officers , Folds told his troops to `` crush any rules violators '' and said , `` We are , in fact , in a crisis right now . '' CNN obtained a copy of the e-mail , which was also first obtained by the AP . Dorrian confirmed that Folds was referring to a potential deliberate violation of Air Force rules regarding nuclear launch codes and the failure of his troops to report when they see potential violations . The Air Force action affects only the 17 personnel deemed to need the training ; others remain on duty . The unit underwent a regular comprehensive inspection in March , according to Dorrian . The inspection consisted of an evaluation of 22 tasks . At the time , the unit was announced as having passed with a `` satisfactory '' rating , which is third on a scale of five . But on one of the 22 tasks involving launch operations , it was rated `` marginal '' which is one step above `` unsatisfactory . '' Dorrian called it the equivalent of a `` D '' grade . Then the incident of potential compromise of launch codes occurred . Dorrian said the investigation found no compromise , but did find the codes were `` potentially handled improperly , '' by one officer , who is now facing discipline . All of this then led to Folds ' e-mail and action , according to Dorrian . Dorrian noted that while some in the Air Force might view Folds ' e-mail as `` emotional , '' his actions are fully supported at the highest levels of the Air Force . In other portions of his e-mail Folds told his unit : . -- `` Turn off the TVs . '' -- `` Clean your patches , uniforms and get your hair cut . '' -- `` Bring to my attention immediately any officer who bad mouths a senior officer . '' While some nuclear officers are sent for retraining every year , this is the most extensive action taken to date , Dorrian confirmed . It comes after a 2008 Pentagon report was sharply critical of the Air Force for not focusing on the post-Cold War nuclear mission , and for a bomber that , in a flight over multiple states , carried nuclear-tipped missiles without the Air Force realizing it . Hagel : 'Outrage , disgust ' as Air Force leader charged with sexual battery .
The officers will have to undergo up to 90 days of training . Their unit performed poorly on an inspection , an Air Force spokesman says . The 91st Fighter Group has ` ` fallen , '' its deputy commander says .