Good morning,

Please be aware that this is not an officially endorsed answer but rather my personal opinion.

For a bit of background, the Army has a strongly defined set of values and standards that it expects its soldiers to adhere to. We understand that these could be a bit of a change for some of our recruiting audience because we recruit from across society. Much like learning how to iron your uniform or gaining physical fitness to suit your role, altering how you live your life to subconsciously adhere to these new values and standards can be a learning process. Our training is designed to turn you from being a civilian into being a soldier and this is part of it.

So that is the background. To answer your question. With reference to the above, dont get me wrong, if you take drugs while serving you will be subject to disciplinary proceedings and face discharge from service, but for some it takes time to subconsciously follow this new code and therefore to test regularly from attendance at the assessment centre could select out some potential excellent soldiers who hope the Army can help them grow as a person before they have even had a chance at learning our ways and even officially joining the Army.

Routine drugs testing is a constant process of random testing across the Army. It is random so that almost no one knows when it is coming and therefore cannot avoid a test. There are indeed times where there is targeted testing, in situations where there is concern that someone might be taking drugs however this is brought in based on evidence rather than always happening. The Army puts a lot of trust in its soldiers and therefore to test everyone through weekly testing would not be the actions of an organisation that trusts its people. The vast majority of our soldiers understand that but yes there are those that break that trust, however as said previously they will be subject to random drugs testing as a deterrent and with a view to catching them.

Taking drugs is not compatible with service in the Army however rehabilitation of those who might have made a mistake is always considered when disciplinary proceedings are underway. The same is true in education for those for whom drug use has never been that big of a deal in their past lives. You dont immediately become a soldier but we help you get there.

Hopefully this gives you an idea on how I personally view why the Army tests how it does

07 October, 2024 11:27