First nuclear missile launch officer charged in US Air Force drugs probe
Several nuclear launch officers allegedly discussed taking ecstasy and speed
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Your support makes all the difference.A nuclear missile launch officer in charge of the “big red button” that could wipe out entire cities has been court-martialled by the US Air Force in connection with a drug investigation.
Nicole Dalmazzi, a second lieutenant of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, is the first officer known to be charged since the probe was made public in January.
She is accused of illegal drug use and obstructing the Air Force Office of Special Investigations probe by dyeing her hair to “alter the results of potential hair-follicle drug tests,” according to an Air Force spokesperson.
As a “missileer”, Lt Dalmazzi is trained to operate the Minuteman 3 intercontinental missile, which is armed with a nuclear warhead and stands ready for launch on within minutes of orders from an underground silo. Two missile officers are always on duty at the launch control centre.
Her court martial is scheduled for 21 January.
The missile wing at Malmstrom Air Force base, in Monstana, operates 150 of America’s 450 Minuteman 3 ballistic missiles.
The other 300 are split between Minot Air Force Base, in North Dakota, and F.E. Warren Air Force Base, in Wyoming. The remainder of the US nuclear arsenal includes a fleet of nuclear-capable bomber aircraft and submarines.
Lt Dalmazzi is one of three missile officers at Malmstrom implicated in the drug probe, alongside one at F.E Warren.
The investigations revealed a separate exam cheating scandal involving almost 100 officers.
They began in August 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base in California and spread when investigators found text messages exchanged with 11 officers elsewhere on two airmen’s phones.
The messages detailed “specific illegal drug use that included synthetic drugs, ecstasy, and amphetamines,” according to a report released in March that traced a connection between the drug and cheating issues.
Officers at Malmstrom had used personal phones to discuss illegal drug activity as well as answers to routine proficiency tests taken by all missile officers, according to the Air Force investigation report.
That investigation focused on the exam cheating, whereas the drug probe was carried out separately as a criminal inquiry by the Office of Special Investigations, which has not publicly announced its results.
The probe also reached Britain, with American officers at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk being investigated.
The scandal prompted a wave of embarrassing claims about the US nuclear missile corps, including discipline problems, low morale and a shortage of resources.
A report by the non-profit RAND Corporation last year found that missile officers and others in the corps were stressed and suffering “burnout.” It also found an abnormal rate of behavioural issues, including domestic violence.
The Air Force concluded that the exam cheating was confined to officers at Malmstrom and disciplinary action is being handled separately from the drug cases, although officials said that three officers at Malmstrom who were suspected of illegal drug activities also were alleged to have shared classified exam materials.
Chuck Hagel, the former US Defence Secretary, announced plans for sweeping changes in Air Force management and operations 10 days before he resigned. Officials say they are confident the reforms will move ahead.
Additional reporting by AP
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