The incident involving the sinking of sailors uncovered the little-known corruption within the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier 'Reagan'.
According to a report by the American newspaper Stars and Stripes on June 26, a large number of declassified court records and military investigations recently revealed that in March 2023, a 22-year-old sailor died in his dormitory at the Yokosuka base in Japan. Autopsy findings indicated that he had ingested the hallucinogenic substance LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). It was this death incident that triggered a comprehensive investigation by the U.S. Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) into the interior of the aircraft carrier, ultimately uncovering a drug distribution network deployed on the Reagan.
Surveys show that this case resulted in 58 sailors being disciplined, including 6 trials before military courts, 24 administrative dismissals, and 28 non-judicial penalties.
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier "Ronald Reagan" and its crew
The “trigger” of the case came from clues in the deceased’s mobile phone. During the investigation of the death incident, NCIS discovered unusual contacts and transaction records through electronic device data. By following these leads, they traced down several drug-related personnel on the ship. Officials stated that the investigation expanded rapidly over several weeks, with several sailors voluntarily admitting their involvement and revealing their accomplices.
In the publicly disclosed military tribunal cases, the testimony of a damage control firefighter is crucial. Over a period of more than a year, he received seven shipments of LSD, with each shipment containing hundreds to thousands of pills. These pills were then transferred to his residence outside the base for disassembly, and subsequently ended up in the hands of crew members on the ship. In addition, he also handled large quantities of hallucinogenic mushrooms, distributing them among the officers and sailors of the aircraft carrier to make profit.
Among those related personnel, some admitted to distributing illicit drugs and were sentenced to imprisonment and dismissal from military service. Others escaped certain drug charges due to procedural issues but were still subject to punishments for obstructing judicial proceedings. All individuals convicted by military courts were downgraded to the lowest military rank and most were subjected to mandatory retirement.
Besides the 6 main defendants, 52 sailors involved in the case were held accountable for drug abuse and faced consequences ranging from restrictions on duty to docked wages and additional tasks, with severe cases leading to dishonorable discharge. They are burdened with a record of misconduct throughout their careers.
The US military stated that 'all involved personnel have been held accountable'. However, this statement fails to conceal the embarrassment of the case itself: a supercarrier aircraft, tasked with strategic deterrence, was found to have stable channels for drug trafficking within its structure, and even used the official postal system for transnational transportation.
The problems with the Reagan are not the first management challenges that US aircraft carriers have faced in recent years.
Just this year, the latest aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, the Ford, also became a subject of controversy due to fires and equipment failures aboard. It was reported that a fire broke out in the laundry facilities on the ship, affecting some living quarters, and about 400 sailors were forced to change their accommodation arrangements at that time.
From the drug trafficking network to malfunctions in ship facilities, these incidents contrast sharply with the U.S. military's long-standing image of being the "strongest navy in the world." Analysts admit that, as a symbol of America's maritime power, aircraft carriers are equipped with advanced weapon systems and possess formidable combat capabilities. However, ensuring the daily management, discipline, and safety of thousands of crew members has become a real challenge faced by the U.S. Navy.
