More than a dozen junior enlisted airmen are under investigation for illegal drug activity in Wyoming, the Air Force announced on Friday.
Fourteen members of a security forces group at the 90th Missile Wing, at F.E. Warren Air Force Base are being investigated for “illegal drug activity,” said Gen. Robin Rand, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. The duties of this group include protecting the base and surrounding missile fields, but Rand said there was no operational impact.
The airmen have been removed from their duties while the investigation continues.
“All service members know drug use is incompatible with military service,” Rand said.
Rand declined to say if activity meant drug use or drug sales until after the investigation is completed. He also would not say what drug the airmen were involved with or provide a timeline to complete the investigation being conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The Associated Press reported that it involved cocaine.
Rand said one airman in the security forces group suspected drug activity by another member of the group and raised the issue with his chain of command. Rand was alerted to the investigation on Tuesday.
The general stressed that the “vast majority” of the 31,000 airmen under his command exceed Air Force standards. As a result, he has declined to order a command-wide urinalysis.
The Air Force previously investigated drug use among a group of 10 officers at six different bases in the U.S. and Britain in January 2014, according to reports.
Rand, however, declined to link the two incidents and stressed that efforts implemented since then are working to keep most airmen in line with the service’s high standards.
