Toxic Cleanse

Commanders discovered 631 instances of pornography, 3,987 instances of “unprofessional material,” and 27,598 instances of “inappropriate or offensive items” as part of December’s Air Force-wide health and welfare inspection, announced service headquarters officials. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh directed the inspection to help ensure a more professional workplace environment. Officials inspected government workplaces and shared common areas, such as break rooms and computer drives, at more than 100 installations, according to the service’s Jan. 18 release announcing the inspection results. They removed or destroyed flagged items; in some cases, they turned them over to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, states the release. “Every airman deserves to be treated with respect,” said Welsh. He added, “I’ve talked with airman across the force, and believe that some units were not meeting those standards. It’s simply unacceptable that we have people who don’t feel comfortable in their workplace, so we’re addressing it head on.” Welsh said airman should not “go along to get along” by tolerating inappropriate workplace comments, or materials. “That’s simply not the Air Force we want to be,” he said. (See also What Lies Ahead.)