The Air Force is breaking new ground in an age of telework by allowing pilots and other high op-tempo airmen to accomplish drug testing online. A new program will allow long-distance urination and sample collection.
Ordinarily, an impartial observer must see urine leave the body and enter a collection cup. This ensures that samples actually belong to the member in question, but it also creates increased burdens on short-staffed medical groups while pulling in-garrison aircrews from valuable and limited training time.
The video drug testing program allows pilots and others, such as special operations forces, to set up an ad hoc secure video call on the Air Force Research Lab-developed app called MiPee.
“One element of an effective drug test is minimizing the time available for a random participant to acquire clean urine and use it in place of their own,” said Lt. Col. Porce A. Lyn, commander of the 320th medical group’s urine flight. “We’re always asking airmen to stay hydrated, and so we took advantage of this fact. Then we simply draw random names as per usual.”
