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This is not good for the task force!
From the Fredricton Daily Gleaner, 24 Oct. 06:
Soldiers nabbed in drug tests
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Military officials are saying little about reports that some soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown training for deployment next year to Afghanistan have failed mandatory drug tests.
Sources have told The Daily Gleaner that between 16 and 18 per cent of soldiers preparing for February's mission flunked.
Substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and speed are said to have been discovered, the newspaper has been told.
Maj. Jay Janzen, public affairs officer for Land Force Atlantic Area, confirmed Monday that soldiers from Gagetown are being tested. But he said that process was ongoing and nothing was final.
Janzen would not confirm if any of the tests had come back positive for illegal substances.
"I would definitely not put faith in those figures," Janzen said in a telephone interview from Halifax.
"I think those are rumours. We want to wait until we have all the results. Everyone in Gagetown has not been tested."
Janzen said the decision to subject soldiers heading to "safety-sensitive" locations to drug tests was announced by the Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier last November.
"This rotation is the first one going to Afghanistan that's been tested at large this way," he said.
Janzen said the military wants soldiers heading into volatile environments such as Kandahar to act accordingly when faced with a dangerous situation.
If a soldier is given the task of watching the back of another, that person needs to be at the top of his or her game, the major said.
Lieut. (Navy) Brian Owens, public affairs officer at CFB Gagetown, said samples are being collected from everyone involved in the mission, from top officers to privates.
The urine samples, which are gathered with a witness, are then sent off for analysis at an independent testing firm.
Owens said that while positive drug tests are looked at with zero tolerance, it does not mean an offender is automatically dismissed from the Forces.
He or she is given an opportunity to correct the problem through counselling and training.
"With the first strike you are pretty much at the door," Owens said. "You are given a chance to salvage your career."
Approximately 700 soldiers from CFB Gagetown, including about 450 from The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) at Gagetown, along with a number of reservists, are scheduled to make the journey to Afghanistan.
Soldiers from 2RCR left the base Monday to fly to Wainwright, Alta., where they will receive the final phase of their training at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.
From the Fredricton Daily Gleaner, 24 Oct. 06:
Soldiers nabbed in drug tests
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Military officials are saying little about reports that some soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown training for deployment next year to Afghanistan have failed mandatory drug tests.
Sources have told The Daily Gleaner that between 16 and 18 per cent of soldiers preparing for February's mission flunked.
Substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and speed are said to have been discovered, the newspaper has been told.
Maj. Jay Janzen, public affairs officer for Land Force Atlantic Area, confirmed Monday that soldiers from Gagetown are being tested. But he said that process was ongoing and nothing was final.
Janzen would not confirm if any of the tests had come back positive for illegal substances.
"I would definitely not put faith in those figures," Janzen said in a telephone interview from Halifax.
"I think those are rumours. We want to wait until we have all the results. Everyone in Gagetown has not been tested."
Janzen said the decision to subject soldiers heading to "safety-sensitive" locations to drug tests was announced by the Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier last November.
"This rotation is the first one going to Afghanistan that's been tested at large this way," he said.
Janzen said the military wants soldiers heading into volatile environments such as Kandahar to act accordingly when faced with a dangerous situation.
If a soldier is given the task of watching the back of another, that person needs to be at the top of his or her game, the major said.
Lieut. (Navy) Brian Owens, public affairs officer at CFB Gagetown, said samples are being collected from everyone involved in the mission, from top officers to privates.
The urine samples, which are gathered with a witness, are then sent off for analysis at an independent testing firm.
Owens said that while positive drug tests are looked at with zero tolerance, it does not mean an offender is automatically dismissed from the Forces.
He or she is given an opportunity to correct the problem through counselling and training.
"With the first strike you are pretty much at the door," Owens said. "You are given a chance to salvage your career."
Approximately 700 soldiers from CFB Gagetown, including about 450 from The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) at Gagetown, along with a number of reservists, are scheduled to make the journey to Afghanistan.
Soldiers from 2RCR left the base Monday to fly to Wainwright, Alta., where they will receive the final phase of their training at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.
