Work continues to eradicate assaults at academy

  • Published
  • By Michael Dominguez
  • Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Department of Defense published cadet survey results from the nation's three service academies March 18 that show cadets' and midshipmen's perceptions of a variety of character-related issues, including the sexual assault climate, at their respective institutions.

Some may see good news in the Air Force statistics, but even though we are encouraged the trend is moving in the right direction, we are not satisfied. The fact that we have any incidents of sexual assault at our academy -- even though these stats show our rates are down -- is not "good" news. We still have work to do to make this situation better, and what we do and learn can benefit the rest of this country as other institutions of higher education face the same challenges.

To put the service academy results in context, I invite you to examine the results of a U.S. Department of Justice-sanctioned research report titled "The Sexual Victimization of College Women" by B. Fisher, F. Cullen, and M. Turner, dated December 2000.

The Fisher Study (named for its principal author) is widely considered the most methodologically sound investigation on sexual assault at college campuses. It concluded that 1 in 5, perhaps as many as 1 in 4 college-age women will experience some form of rape or attempted rape during their college career. The study also states that, nationally, more than 15 percent of college women are sexually victimized on an annual basis; that is, sexual contact is completed with force, threat of force or some other type of coercion.

Although I am convinced our military academies provide the safest undergraduate environments in the world, we will not be satisfied until sexual assault and the behaviors that foster it are eradicated from our military institutions. This is especially significant, because we, along with the rest of the nation, properly hold the military services to a higher standard.

We are confident we have the right leadership team in place at the Air Force Academy. Led by Lt. Gen. John Rosa, they are making significant strides toward achieving our goals:

1. Making commanders at all levels responsible for actively overseeing the effectiveness of our programs.

2. Eliminating sexual assault and any environmental factors that foster it.

3. Providing an environment where victims have the confidence to report assaults.

4. Ensuring appropriate investigations and prosecutions are conducted in a timely manner, and foremost,

5. Providing for victims' health and well-being.

As a leading national institution, America's armed forces embody the best of our nation's ideals. This often places us at the forefront in leading positive change within our society. We led our nation in integration and civil rights more than 50 years ago. We were on the leading edge in pursuing gender equality. And, we take that charge again now as we attempt to eradicate sexual assault from our service academies, with great hope that all institutions of higher education have equally ambitious aspirations.

Above all, we will continue to develop leaders of character ready to serve our nation in the profession of arms. As such, we accept that it is our responsibility to take a leadership role in finding solutions to this troubling national issue. We will not rest until we can look every American in the eye and tell them that their sons and daughters are safe at our academy and are receiving the very best education and training we can provide them as they aspire to be the leaders we need for the 21st century.