Roche: 'We must not commission any criminal'

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  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
The Air Force is committed to rid the Air Force Academy of anyone who would sexually assault another, the service's secretary told members of the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 27.

"We have a very simple proposition," Air Force Secretary Dr. James G. Roche told committee chairman Rep. Duncan Hunter. "We must not commission any criminal."

Further, Roche said he was committed to ridding the Air Force Academy of cadets who knowingly harbored someone who had sexually assaulted another cadet or shunned a victim who reported a sexual assault.

Roche's comments came amid allegations of sexual assault at the service's academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. A working group, headed by Air Force General Counsel Mary Walker, has been formed to examine how the service deals with sexual assault in its officer training programs.

According to Roche, the investigation is made up of three parts: Walker's internal investigation, and examinations by the Department of Defense's inspector general and the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The Air Force's working group will examine the processes by which the academy allows cadets to report abuses.

"There was a system that they thought in 1993 was addressing the problem. Maybe it did in 1993, but did not now," he said. "We're having a broader look now, including what we would hold our senior officers accountable for."

Roche said the DOD inspector general's team will closely examine each allegation to prevent any appearance of the Air Force glossing over details. The undersecretary's investigation will take information from the Air Force's working group and the DOD team, and see how it may apply to the other military branches.

While particular attention is being paid to the academy allegations, Roche said the investigation would examine sexual misconduct reporting processes for both officer training school and ROTC as well.

"These are aspiring officers, and (Congress) has charged me to sign the (commissioning) certificate for each of them that says we (give them) special trust and confidence," Roche said. "I don't know if I can say that about everyone. I certainly can't say that about any assailant.

"We cannot tolerate an officer who has such bad judgment as to have done something as alleged by the victims at the academy," he said.

The secretary said he believes the problems at the Air Force Academy did not occur during the tenure of any particular officer. Rather it is a cultural problem that has been building up over the years. Now, he said, the Air Force's responsibility is to fix the problems.

"Just as Jews cannot fix anti-Semitism and African-Americans cannot fix racism, at the Air Force Academy it's not women's responsibility to fix this problem. It's the responsibility of the Air Force and the male cadets.

"We will not tolerate this. It's wrong for any (cadet) to have her parents fear that she might be in jeopardy by going to the Air Force Academy," Roche said. "That's not this country, and that's not our Air Force."