Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said the drug investigation underway at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., has no connection to the 2014 high-profile drug investigation at another missile base that led to a significant overhaul of the command. In early 2014, the Air Force investigated more than a dozen missileers for drug use at Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Since then, multiple Malmstrom missileers have been convicted for illegal drug activity. Through that investigation, the Air Force also determined that dozens more airmen had cheated on a nuclear proficiency exam. Air Force officials at the time said the drug use and cheating appeared isolated at Malmstrom, and did not expand their investigation to other bases. However, it did prompt a command-wide look at morale and career issues inside the nuclear missile force, called the Force Improvement Program. Global Strike does not plan to expand the current investigation beyond F.E. Warren or conduct blanket urinalysis tests, Rand said. The “vast majority” of the command’s 31,000 airmen are meeting or exceeding Air Force standards, he added.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.