Air Force Academy Blamed for Sex Scandal

Associated Press ^ | December 7, 2004 | John Lumpkin

[heye2monn]

Air Force Academy Blamed for Sex Scandal Dec 7, 5:33 PM (ET) By JOHN J. LUMPKIN

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon's inspector general says a series of commanders at the Air Force Academy failed to recognize and deal with reports of sexual assaults against female cadets on campus, officials said Tuesday.

"We conclude that the overall root cause of the sexual assault problems at the Air Force Academy was the 'failure of successive chains of command over the past 10 years to acknowledge the severity of the problem,'" Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz wrote in a Dec. 3 memo to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, quoting his own report.

"Consequently, they failed to initiate and monitor adequate corrective measures to change the culture until recently," Schmitz wrote.

Last year, nearly 150 women came forward with accusations that they had been sexually assaulted by fellow cadets between 1993 and 2003. Many alleged they were punished, ignored or ostracized by commanders for speaking out.

Schmitz's full report was not released. A summary blamed - but didn't name - eight Air Force officials for their roles in the program that oversaw sexual-assault reporting at the academy.

In a press conference, David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the Pentagon would soon implement a new military-wide policy protecting the confidentiality of people who report being sexually assaulted.

"First and foremost, we want victims to come forward for help," Chu said.

Outside investigations concluded the culture of the academy created conditions that contributed to the problem. That included lingering resistance to having female cadets at all: Last year, a survey of cadets found 22 percent did not believe women belonged at the academy, more than a quarter of a century after they were first admitted.

Academy officials say matters have improved since the assaults came to light.

Schmitz's report said academy leaders should have been better role models and should have kept a closer watch on their commands.

The Air Force also released a second report, from its own inspector general, finding that formal investigations of sexual assault at the academy were generally handled properly.

Chu, however, said, "The problem is deeper than handling of individual cases."

Gen. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, the Air Force's vice chief of staff, noted that all senior leaders at the academy had been replaced since the allegations came to light.

The military has had to deal with sexual assault issues across the services.

In May, a Pentagon task force found that victims of rape and other forms of sexual assault in the military have too often suffered additionally from a lack of support from commanders, criminal investigators and doctors.

The report, ordered in February by Rumsfeld after a number of sexual assaults against soldiers in the Iraqi theater came to light, described inconsistencies throughout the military in the treatment and investigation of such assaults.

[Gritty]

Geez, women have been in the cockpit for 25 years now - get over it!

Yeah, and I served with a lot of them for a lot of years in the cockpit and out. Frankly, there was not much value added after they arrived, despite the feverish hoopla.

But, I know it would be Politically Incorrect to say the downsides were not worth the effort IMHO, so I wouldn't dare say that in decent company. But, as you imply, that is all "old" history - and we all know how old and foolish "old" history is. In any case, for good or ill it is a done deal and we have to live with it.

But, you have little "before" experience in this. However, you are certainly welcome to your "after" opinion - informed or not - and I'll keep my "before/after" opinion, tempered by a few more years of experience on both sides of the equation.

In the meantime, call General Rosa and tell him to get that mess straightened out, will you? I'm too busy and involved in an important BINGO tournament down here at the Old Folks Home.

[Swede Girl]

I never thought it was a good idea to put women in the Academies. The cadets are at their prime, and they are so isolated from normal social life that this is inevitable.

[lizma]

the physical training regimens were not identical for males and females, and generally speaking, they probably need not be --

I think the requirements should be EQUAL. That's what they want, that's what they should have. A female pilot died a few years ago because she was allowed to do things she wasn't qualified to do! That's insane.

Could there be a secondary non-combat academic schedule for those women (and maybe men) who can't pass the physical training regimens? There are many other non-combat positions to place gifted, hard working, dedicated people.

I also wonder what the the definitions of sexual assault is? A pat on the tush or rape? Were these ladies drunk or sober? After the Tailhook "scandal" I've become a tad cynical.

[ken5050]

Why then haven't we had the same extent of these problems at West Point or Annapolis?

[sarasmom]

I don't know where any of MY former USAF Pilots are.
If I did, I would ping them to this thread, and particularly to your post.
You could talk to Major___, who got a medal, primarily based upon my input to his classified project.
You could ask General B.Gann if he remembers any significant mission/life saving actions contributed by any female USAF NCOs.
You can take your candy @ssed anti-female-in-the-military attitude to the loser section of the peanut gallery and stay there.
Or you can do what I advised all my questionable airmen to do, go AWOL before I shoot your ignorant,chicken sh!t,incompetant self.
And yes indeed, my mamma did in fact wear combat boots, as did her daughter, one of her three sons, and several of her grandaughters.

[lizma]

I wonder if the Israeli military has this problem.

Israel's military took their women off the front combat lines decades ago. They tried it, it didn't work and they had enough sense to realize it.

[sandviper]

Congressional Special Interest (CSI) Medical Research Programs

Research Problem: Servicewomen in initial entry training have twice the rate of musculoskeletal injuries. Presently, stress fracture incidence rates for the US Army range from 3.4 – 21.0% for women compared to 0.9 – 5.2% for men in recruit training.

Research Problem: Studies showed that women lacked the required strength to lower landing gear and activate ejection seats, were slowed by ladder rung spacing while performing emergency damage control tasks onboard ships, and had impaired optimal performance due to personal equipment design.

http://www.momrp.org/59.htm

[Lucky Dog]

Twenty two percent do not believe women should be at the academy? They are probably the ones causing 99% of the problems. These toads must feel their macho egos are threatened by having females there that can do everything they can do. What little sissies they are!

The “problems,” as you put it, did not exist until women were admitted to the academy. Therefore, logically, it appears that those “who do not believe women should be at the academy” have a valid point.

It seems rather odd that for the last 5,000 years of recorded history, or so, that female participation in military combat activities has been a rare exception. However, by the standards that are creating the “problems” at the academy and in today’s military in general, it seems female participation is a requirement. Consequently, one is left to wonder why such a requirement would exist in the first place.

Rationally, one would conclude that if females were such an efficient addition to military combat forces, they would have been routinely added to military combat forces centuries, if not, millennia ago. After all, if such increases in military combat efficiency were, in deed, the case, then the first force to do so would have been overwhelmingly victorious and all afterwards would have followed suit. However, such a situation is manifestly not the situation nor has it ever been except in very rare and very limited circumstances. Again, one is left to wonder why.

Perhaps, in your great wisdom you would care to address the above-cited quandaries.

[steveo]

how can they handle the enemy.

They can kill the enemy...

These people are supposed to be officers, I would suggest they should act like officers.

[lizma]

And yes indeed, my mamma did in fact wear combat boots, as did her daughter, one of her three sons, and several of her grandaughters.

Too Cool! And Thank you, your mom, and your family so much.

I'm all for women in the military but not at the combat level, unless they can pass the same physical regime as the men. You have way more insight into this than I do. How do you feel about it...ma'am?

[fr_freak]

Why then haven't we had the same extent of these problems at West Point or Annapolis?

Given the powderkeg nature of this mixed-sex arrangement, it's probably just a matter of time. Their turn will come soon enough.

[VOA]

If these women training to be officers can not handle other US military how can
they handle the enemy. Where is their backbone and authority to command troops?

Especially when about 99% of the harassment problem could be terminated
with one judiciously-placed kick to the crotch of the offender (presumably a male).

All the academy administration had to do is issue a guide on this form of self-defense.

(only problem is that some women I've known might interpret this
as "open season" even when they'd not been bothered)

[Stratman]

The woman's state of mind does not in any way validate improper behavior.

[fr_freak]

Was that the 1860's by any chance? Geez, women have been in the cockpit for 25 years now - get over it!

Just because something has occurred for a substantial amount of time, it doesn't mean it's right. How long was there slavery in this country?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The problem at the Air Force Academy is putting women there, PERIOD. A blind man could have seen this trouble coming. The commanders are not the problem. The problem is human sexuality which has been with us for lo these many thousands of years.

Memo to the Pentagon: You are damn fools for opening up these academies to women. You have guaranteed serious problems in perpetuity. This is a nightmare that will never end. It will occupy the efforts of very good men in a hopeless battle against the inevitable consequences of human sexuality in young people.

To hell with whether this country can win a war with a well-trained military officer corps, we're too busy trying and failing to keep young cadets out of each others' pants.

The Pentagon leadership cannot win a war. They cannot even figure out the difference between women and men.

The Pentagon cannot defeat terrorism. They can't even defeat the communist lawyers of the ACLU and have thrown the Boy Scouts of America to the wolves.

Shame on the Pentagon and its cowardice and its reckless disregard for honor. Our senior military leadership is a disgrace to our proud military traditions and history.

[ken5050]

I read something a while ago that suggested that the AFA, is very different from the other two service academies, because the AFA has an innate two caste system in place
that is happily NOT present in the other two schools...to wit, those who aspire to be pilots and those who do not, or cannot not, because of physical parameters or limitations..

[cynicom]

Only 150??? No problem here, they are not gentlemen until they graduate, so until then, boys will be boys.

[Gritty]

Hey, Lucky Dog. Good to see you again! Using your usual excellent logic again, I see.

Good luck with the windmills!

...Whoops. There's the nurse now with my evening meds. I've gotta hobble run! Ta, Ta!

[Lucky Dog]

Thanks, Gritty. See ya!

[derllak]

I don't pretend to be "all wise", but it has been just recently in our history that women have been ALLOWED the same rights as men. Hey, we're smart enough to cast an informed vote! Who'd of thunk?? Wow, we can drive cars, hold jobs, become doctors....now there's a shock for ya!
I know that there are some things men can do better, and there are things that women are better at. But in general, I think both are equally capable of going through the rigors of basic training, attending the academy, and serving the military.
Some men just can't seem to get over that fact and will do their darndest to make life for these women in the academy as difficult as they can. They would never live it down if the girls outdid them! It would be a deadening blow to their egos! These are the "toads" I am talking about!