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Attention All Airmen: Air Force Holds Sexual Assault Offenders Accountable, Sexual Assault Convictions Are Now On-Line

  • Published
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Effectively immediately, the Air Force is now publishing sexual assault convictions on-line. Anyone can go to this website and review more than 100 sexual assault convictions from across the Air Force, to include viewing them by base. After a few minutes of reviewing the facts of these cases, you will soon see many cases are very similar - they involve: 1) the use of alcohol, 2) the absence of personal respect for the victim and 3) the absence of the victims' consent. You will also quickly see that Airmen who are convicted of sexual assault can be held accountable by military judges and court-martial panels with punishments that often include jail time, rank reductions and punitive discharges.

A number of these cases involve Airmen assaulting fellow Airmen. Many times these victims were co-workers and former friends - people who trusted their assailant. The offenders elected to violate that trust and were punished accordingly. As required by many state laws, convicted Airmen must also register in their jurisdiction's sexual assault registry. These sex offender lists include the names and addresses of convicted sex offenders, and are publicly available on-line.

Effective two months ago, Airmen who commit a sexual assault will have administrative discharge proceedings initiated against them and may be retained only if they meet a cumulative multi-part test. All Airmen are encouraged to visit the below website and review the facts of the cases, which resulted in these Airmen being convicted of sexual offenses. Then educate and warn fellow Airmen about the consequences of committing these crimes. When you see a situation that isn't right, be a good wingman; intervene, and insist your fellow Airman treat others with respect. Don't regret being a passive bystander when a few words of intervention can forever positively change the lives of Airmen around you.

Visit the website: http://www.afjag.af.mil/sexualassaultprosecution/index.asp.

Our Wingman culture--Airmen being alert to signs of trouble in their fellow Airmen and taking action to intervene--gives our Air Force strength to succeed against adversity.

I ask that you draw on this culture, with its foundation in our core values and mutual respect, to stop sexual assault. As expeditionary Airmen, we must have implicit trust in one another. We go into combat together, and there can be absolutely no hesitation in that trust between our brothers and sisters in arms. Sexual assault erodes that trust.

Familiarize yourself with the cases and consequences detailed on this website, which shows what can happen when Airmen commit sexual assault offenses. I want you to remember that while this represents an extremely small percentage of our Airmen, the entire Air Force can--and must--be part of the solution by improving early intervention and accountability. You will be empowered with knowledge that you can use to intervene before your fellow Airmen commit these damaging crimes.

Take care of the Wingman standing and fighting next to you.

- Brig. Gen. Roger Watkins, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander