Following allegations of sexual assault and a climate of indifference and intimidation at the Air Force Academy, the Pentagon has ordered a review the Academy's sexual assault policies. In recent months, at least twelve female current and former cadets at the Academy have charged that they were reprimanded for reporting sexual assaults. The women say they faced indifference, inaction or retaliation from Academy officials, that the Academy has been lax in checking into and prosecuting sexual assaults, and that it has permitted retaliation against cadets who did report assaults.

The women's stories were first reported in an investigative series on KMGH-TV in Denver, Colorado. The Academy is located in Colorado Springs. The television station alerted Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO), a member of the Armed Services Committee, who initiated the investigation by writing letters to Air Force Secretary James G. Roche and Senator John W. Warner (R-VA), Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Senator Warner then wrote to Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense Charles S. Abell requesting an investigation.

"There's this whole block of women out there who are apparently reluctant to report because of the system, and I don't blame them," said Senator Allard on KMGH-TV. "There are people in the Academy who really felt that ...they had put regulations in place that were actually working. They've got to understand that it's not working and that they need to think about re-doing the process, and they need to figure out ways in which they can protect these women when they report a rape instead of protecting the perpetrator. They need to do more to ensure that the victim will be treated fairly in this process."

Advocates echoed the Senators' concerns, calling for an investigation and immediate change in the Academy's procedures for handling rape and sexual assault. "I am very concerned that the examples given by the Air Force's spokesperson seem to place responsibility for preventing violence on the victims," said Deborah D. Tucker, Executive Director of the National Training Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Co-Chair of the Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence. "There's a lot of 'well, boys will be boys' in the attitudes we've heard thus far and that is inconsistent with policy and with training on these matters. I believe the intent of the Air Force in handling acts of sexual violence is not fully understood by those at the Academy."

In response to these concerns and the women's allegations, Secretary Roche established a committee to investigate the reports of sexual assault and to review the Academy's policies for investigating allegations of assault and punishing perpetrators. A five-member team arrived at the Academy last week to begin investigating. Information they gather will be sent to Air Force General Counsel Mary L. Walker, who will complete a report for Secretary Roche. Any recommended changes in policy will come from the Secretary.

Incidents of Sexual Abuse

Senator Allard reports that twelve women have contacted his office to report being raped or sexually assaulted while attending the Academy. There may be many more. KMGH-TV profiled victims of sexual assault in its investigative series.

One former cadet, Marie, was raped by upperclassmen while she was drinking in their room. She reported the rape to Academy officials and went to a local hospital where a rape kit was taken. However, ostensibly because Marie violated Academy rules by drinking on campus and going to an upperclassman's room, she received several reprimands and she was punished for the incident. "They tried to convince me it was my fault," she told KMGH-TV. "They wanted to put blame on somebody and it was hard to put it on three guys as opposed to putting it on one freshman girl."

Another former cadet, Liz, was raped and sexually assaulted by an upperclassman five times during her freshman year. Although her friends cautioned against telling Academy officials about her ordeal, she reported the assaults to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. In the end, Liz was reprimanded for the attacks. Among other things, she was charged with having "sex in the dorms."

The Academy's Response to Sexual Assault

The women who have come forward with stories of sexual assault describe the Academy, which is 84 percent male, as fostering a culture that discourages women from reporting sexual assaults and does not punish men for sexual misconduct.

"The message is: Rape is acceptable and don't say anything about it," said one current cadet to KMGH-TV.

"If you report, you are crazy because nobody is going to believe you," added a former cadet.

Over the past ten years, in response to various allegations of sexual assault, the Academy has taken steps to raise awareness and support victims. An Academy amnesty clause that was established to encourage the reporting of sexual assaults is supposed to allow cadets to report incidents without fear of punishment if they were breaking Academy rules when the assault occurred. In addition, the Academy created the Center for Character Development to promote ethical conduct, and it requires freshman to take a course to learn how to protect themselves in potentially dangerous situations, including personal relationships.

But Air Force officials concede that "the system for reporting and investigating sexual abuse needs improving," reports the New York Times. A survey taken in January showed that one-fifth of cadets, and a much higher proportion of those who are women, lack confidence in Academy programs designed to help victims of sexual assault.

In 1996, the Academy established a 24-hour rape hotline to help victims of sexual assault. Since then, there have been 99 calls reporting some form of sexual assault, according to the Associated Press. Only 20 reports of cadet sexual assault have been investigated. While two cadets have been convicted for off-campus sexual offenses, not a single cadet has been court martialed on rape charges.

Since the first reports of the assaults at the Academy, General John Dallager, Superintendent of the Academy, has been meeting with cadets, including victims of sexual assault. "We're not going to sweep it under the rug," said General Dallager during a KMGH-TV interview. "Culture, climate, atmosphere, education, training, perceptions, feedback - how the system works...we are going to attempt to do better."

More information about the investigation and female cadets' allegations of sexual assault is available through KMGH-TV's web site, www.thedenverchannel.com.

© Copyright © 2004 Family Violence Prevention Fund
All rights reserved