An Air Force official told the Associated Press on Wednesday that a drug probe at six different bases has now widened to include 37 nuclear launch officers.
Two of the six bases involved in the investigation operate nuclear missiles, according to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
Federal detectives will also be looking into accusations of cheating on certification tests, James announced with Air Force chief of staff Mark Welsh during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday.
The allegations concern a series of tests that each armed forces member must complete to gauge job efficiency. The drug probe revealed information concerning possible cheating on those tests.
The investigation originally involved 10 offices, according to a statement released by the Pentagon last week. Nine lieutenants and one captain at six different bases were reportedly suspected of holding "recreational drugs," AP reported.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations has been tasked with investigating the allegations.
Originally, the probe was said to involve officers at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Royal Air Force base Lakenheath in England, the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, and Malmstrom. The two latter bases operate intercontinental ballistic missiles, AP reported.
The investigation widened significantly, after detectives found the two officers initially under review had made contact with a group of other Air Force officials on multiple occasions concerning drugs.
