More than a dozen Fort Bragg special operations soldiers were recently detained by Army officials investigating drug allegations at the North Carolina installation. (Logan Mock-Bunting, Getty Images/TNS)
ATLANTA — More than a dozen Fort Bragg special operations soldiers were recently detained by Army officials investigating drug allegations at the North Carolina installation, military officials said Wednesday.
Criminal Investigation Division officials have questioned 15 soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said Lt. Col. Mike Burns, spokesman for the command. The soldiers were released to their chains of command following the interviews, and two were cleared of wrongdoing, he said.
“The use of illegal drugs or any other illegal activity goes directly against [Army special operations forces] values and does not reflect the behavior we demand from every soldier in our formation” Burns said in a statement. “USASOC maintains a strict policy against the use of any illegal drugs. Illegal drug use is not acceptable nor is it tolerated.”
It was not immediately clear Wednesday what sparked the investigation. A spokesman for CID did not return a request for further comment.
No soldiers had been charged with a crime related to the probe as of Wednesday, Army officials said.
Burns said the probe was continuing and it “would be inappropriate” to comment further on the allegations or the soldiers questioned in the matter.
“All soldiers have the right to due process, including the presumption of innocence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” he said.
USASOC would continue to cooperate with CID, Burns said.
The allegations are the latest in a string of recent incidents within the Pentagon’s special operations community that have included other allegations of drug use. Special operators in recent years have also faced other accusations including sexual misconduct and the use of alcohol on deployment and extrajudicial killings. Four special operators — two Navy SEALs and two Marine Raiders — pleaded guilty in the death of an Army Green Beret killed on a deployment to Mali in 2017.
A review of ethics within the special operations community ordered in 2019 found there was not a systemic problem within the Pentagon’s elite forces, but that high operations tempos and a lack of high-level oversight had contributed to problems with some special operators.
U.S. Special Operations Command, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and oversees all U.S. special operators, said in a statement that it was aware of the allegations against soldiers at Fort Bragg.
“Illegal activity by any member of the special operations forces community undermines everything we stand for as an organization,” according to the USASOC statement issued Monday. “As a professional and disciplined force, we are committed to addressing harmful behaviors that affect our people — our most important asset — and upholding the high standards of conduct displayed by the vast majority of SOF members every day.”
