Fourteen at nuke base probed for illegal drug activity

WASHINGTON — Fourteen members of an Air Force unit responsible for guarding nuclear missiles in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska are under investigation for possible illegal drug activity, including cases involving cocaine use, defense officials said Friday.

The probe is a fresh blow to a nuclear missile corps that has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for a string of lapses in training and personal conduct, first revealed by The Associated Press. The Air Force has said repeatedly over the past year it is making significant changes aimed at lifting morale and improving performance.

The investigation at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, home of the 90th Missile Wing, near Cheyenne, Wyo., was announced by Gen. Robin Rand, the four-star commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. The command is responsible for the entire fleet of 450 Minuteman 3 nuclear missiles that stand in underground launch silos, one third of them operated by the 90th Missile Wing. The missile force is on alert 24 hours a day, year-round, requiring strict adherence to performance standards by the men and women who operate, maintain and protect them.

Rand, speaking by telephone from his headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, said the 14 airmen under investigation range in rank from airman 1st class to senior airman and are members of the security group at F.E. Warren that is responsible for securing the missile fields and convoys that move nuclear weapons.

Rand said the 14 are accused of off-duty drug “activity,” which he refused to further define. He said the allegations were “credible.”

“This is very important to me that we get to the bottom of this,” Rand said, adding he is confident the vast majority of airmen in the nuclear missile corps comply with Air Force standards of personal conduct. “We have a special trust with our nation, with our public, with the mission that we do in Air Force Global Strike Command.”

The security unit at F.E. Warren, known as the 90th Security Forces Group, includes about 1,300 airmen, Rand said, of which nearly 1,000 are junior enlisted members of ranks similar to the 14 under investigation. They are commanded by Col. Christopher L. Corley.

The investigation was started after a member of the security forces alerted his superiors of his suspicion of drug activity by another airman, Rand said, adding that the commander of the 90th Missile Wing, Col. Stephen Kravitsky, informed him Tuesday that an investigation was underway. It’s not clear when it began.

Rand said the 14 have been removed from duty while the Air Force Office of Special Investigations looks into the case. He declined to provide further details, including what drugs allegedly are involved, citing an active investigation. Two other defense officials said the drugs included cocaine; a third said the allegations include the possession, use or distribution of illegal drugs. The officials discussed details they were not authorized to release publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity.