US Air Force drug scandal growing

Ten US Air Force officers at six military bases are being investigated over allegations of possessing illegal drug.

Nine lieutenants and a captain at bases in the United States and Britain were implicated in the investigation, Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Brett Ashworth said.

The investigation initiated with two officers at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the second largest US Air Force Base and then “expanded, based on contact with the officers in question regarding recreational drug possession,” Ashworth added.

The investigation continued to include officers at Malmstrom, Vandenberg, F.E. Warren, and Schreiver Air Force bases in the US as well as Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England, he noted.

Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, is home to the 341st Space Wing; Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is home to the Air Forces space and missile testing facilities; F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming is one of three responsible for the USâ„¢s 420 nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles; Schreiver in Colorado is home to its Space Warfare Center and Ballistic Missile Defense Organization; and Royal Air Force is home to a US fighter wing.

The news of investigation surfaced on Thursday after the US Air Force suspended the security clearances of two missile launch officers in a drug probe at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

The serviceâ„¢s move came as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was visiting F.E. Warren base to rally troops who are responsible for maintaining and staffing the launch sites.

AT/ISH

Source: Press TV