Mission readiness through urinalysis testing

Published May 4, 2016
By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
JBER Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- High rates of drug use by service members returning from the Vietnam conflict led then-President Richard Nixon to implement a military drug-testing program in 1971.

"The Vietnam Drug User Returns," a special action office monograph published by Dr. Lee Robins in 1974, indicated 42 percent of U.S. military personnel in Vietnam used opioids at least once - and half admitted to being physically dependent at some point.

The program would see minimal changes with the passing years; however, the focus would remain troop rehabilitation for almost a decade.

Drug testing to ensure troop readiness and deter use was implemented following an aircraft accident aboard a Navy carrier in 1981.

On May 25 that year, an EA-6B Prowler struck a helicopter aboard the USS Nimitz, detonating four missile warheads. Ultimately, 14 crewmembers were killed and 48 personnel were injured. Three planes were destroyed and nine damaged at an estimated cost of $150 million.

Six of the deceased service members were found to have marijuana metabolites in their blood through a pathology report from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

"There are many reasons why we test today," said Frank Gamboa, 673d Air Base Wing Drug-Demand Reduction Program manager. "[Service members] have a job to do, and if they're using drugs something can go wrong."

Testing holds service members accountable for their actions, he said.

"Ultimately," Gambao said, "people's lives are on the line."

Today, the Drug Demand Reduction Program is completely randomized, which is what makes it effective, Gamboa said. The possibility of being selected for urinalysis testing is always present. It doesn't matter if someone was recently tested; due to the randomness of the program, they can be selected multiple times a year.

Names are chosen by a computer algorithm, Gamboa said. People are not singled out, as much as they would like to believe.

"We have to test 100 percent of the base year-end strength," he said. "The base populace is at about 5,000, so our quota comes out to about 451 each month."

After names have been selected, an email is generated and sent to the trusted agents throughout the installation. The trusted agents then contact those selected and inform them they must report to the urinalysis center.

Air Force personnel who have a urinalysis appointment report to the JBER-Elmendorf post office second floor.

Soldiers are notified by their noncommissioned officer support channel, and generally report to their company area.

Some people may be annoyed and think the testing should not apply to them, said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Berkompas, 673d Security Forces Squadron flight chief.

It's something that everyone has to embrace, she said. The program does not discriminate based on rank. Anyone, anywhere can be tested.

Several things, including prescribed medications, may indicate a positive result, so procedures are in place to ensure the accuracy of the urinalysis testing.

"If a sample comes back positive, a letter is generated to our medical review officer on base," Gamboa said. "They will do a scan of the medical records, and look at the documentation on the individual to see if there has been anything prescribed that could have led to them to test positive."

The Office of Special Investigations, Security Forces, legal and other agencies on the installation are notified when there is a confirmed positive without a medical reason.

Punishment is determined on a case-by-case basis, though it is not uncommon for individuals to be discharged from the military, Gamboa said.

"If they use drugs on JBER, we're going to catch them," he said. "Either OSI will catch them, or through gate sweeps, dorm sweeps, unit sweeps, or the random program, we're going to catch them. It's just a matter of time."

The goal is a drug-free military, Gamboa said.