Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and CMSAF James Roy have sent a message to airmen saying they are committed “to eliminating sexual assault” from the service. “Sexual assault is a crime, and there is no place for this behavior in our Air Force. We demand better of ourselves,” they wrote in their letter to airmen. Although the Defense Department conducts its own sexual assault study every year, USAF contracted the Gallup polling company to conduct an anonymous survey to get a better idea of the magnitude of the problem. Gallup found that in the 12 months prior to its survey, 2,143 female airmen (3.4 percent) and 1,355 male airmen (0.5 percent) believed that they had been sexually assaulted, a significant spike compared to the 585 sexual assaults officially reported in the Air Force in Fiscal 2010. (SAF/PA release) (Gallup report; caution, large file)
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.