Related Articles
More than 145 crew members serving on Britain’s elite multi billion pound submarine fleet have been sacked in the last six years for failing drugs tests.
The highly trained Royal Navy submariners were found positive for a variety of banned or illegal substances including cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, and steroids.
Another prohibited narcotic found during the series of random unnannounced tests was was benzodiazepine, a drug for treating anxiety and insomnia.
According to figures released by the The Ministry of Defence 146 men and women tested positive between 2018 and 2023.
In 40 cases the crew members were actually serving on a submarine at the time.
The UK’s nuclear submarines have been based at Faslane Royal Navy base near the Firth of Clyde, about 25 miles from Glasgow, since the 1960s.
The MoD said no drugs were actually found in searches of its submariners or in their quarters and there is no suggestion crew members were dealing on board.
It’s believed the majority of drug taking happens while members are on shore leave or having returned home after a lengthy spell at sea.
It’s believed some of those who failed the tests were working on Britain’s Trident missile fleet
The large number of positive tests has raised major security concerns given that submarine crew members are on the frontline of Britain’s defence.
It’s believed some of those who failed drugs tests were working on Britain’s £15 billion Trident missile fleet, which provide a continuous round the clock nuclear deterrent.
One is always out on patrol, ready to strike in the event the UK faces a nuclear attack or other extreme military crisis.
A submarine normally carried around 130 crew members at any one time including a doctor and three chefs.
Philip Ingram, a former British Military Intelligence colonel said yesterday: ‘Operating complex equipment or weapons with illegal substances in your system is recklessly dangerous and shows that those taking them do not care about themselves or their colleagues
‘Unfortunately, with the proliferation and normalisation of drugs in society, many young personnel will abuse them, especially after long sub patrols.
‘Stopping this is down to self-discipline, education and leadership.’
The MOD insist the armed forces have a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs with the vast majority of those who test positive immediately dismissed.
They say hundreds of random checks are carried out every year.
‘Some submariners are targeted if there is information that person is using drugs.
The tests normally involve a crew member giving a blood or urine sample.
Yesterday a Royal Navy spokesperson said: ‘The misuse of drugs is not tolerated. Anyone found to have misused drugs faces severe consequences, including discharge from service.
‘We maintain a comprehensive programme of compulsory random drug testing. ‘Our people are also required to complete regular mandated training on substance misuse.’
The Royal Navy operates a fleet of 10 submarines, all powered by on-board nuclear reactors.
Four – The Vanguard class – carry Trident nuclear missiles.
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Ben Key
The MOD do not say how long submarine crew are at sea at any one time
However some deployments can last for anything between three and five months.
The profile of the Navy’s submarine fleet was raised in 2021 by the hit BBC crime drama Vigil, starring Suranne Jones and Martin Compston, in which a member of the fictional crew was killed in an apparent drugs overdose while the vessel was at sea.
The Navy also published a report last year admitting that female submariners had suffered misogyny, bullying and unacceptable behaviour from male colleagues.
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Ben Key said at the time: ‘Poor practices and behaviours in the past should never have been considered acceptable, and they have no place today.
‘We must institute a culture that does not allow space for this behaviour to exist and we must deal with perpetrators swiftly, which we have now done.’
A new submarine fleet is to be built in a joint project involving the UK, Australia and the USA which will replace the current Astute class in the late 2030’s.
Source link
