The Air Force announced yesterday that it had found hundreds of examples of pornography and tens of thousands of “inappropriate” items in a sweep of bases around the world.
According to the current issue of Stars and Stripes, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III ordered wing commanders in late November to scour work areas for pornographic or offensive materials that sexually objectify men or women, and for other “unprofessional” items.
Welsh’s order came on the heels of media reports of sexual harassment and hostile working conditions for female airmen, and in the midst of a growing scandal centered on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, over sexual misconduct by Air Force instructors toward trainees.
Gen. Larry Spencer, the Air Force vice chief of staff, told Stars and Stripes on Friday that the inspection was aimed at making sure current policies and standards on workplace conduct are being enforced. There were “no issues” found at most installations, he said.
“We want folks to come in to work every day and feel like they’re in a professional environment and feel like they’re respected,” Spencer said.
Inspections took place in recent weeks at 97 active duty installations and offices worldwide. They uncovered about 32,000 items that fell into three categories: pornography, unprofessional material and inappropriate or offensive material. Inspections at Air National Guard installations are just starting, Air Force officials said.
The majority of 631 items deemed pornographic were uncovered in Air Education and Training Command, which oversees training at Lackland and other bases. While most were items like magazines or computer videos that were removed or deleted, investigators also identified 11 pornographic computer images that were “preserved for evidence,” according to a database provided by the Air Force.
Air Force officials said they could not comment the images, which could be part of a criminal investigation.
The most wide-ranging category covered 27,598 “inappropriate/offensive” items. It included sexually suggestive posters in public areas, obscene cartoons and more than 200 images of aircraft nose art, some dating to World War II. Air Force Special Operations command removed several examples found in the interior of its aircraft.
“We don’t want to paint over the Memphis Belle,” said Air Force spokesman Maj. Joel Harper. But, he added, commanders had broad discretion to decide what crosses the line.
In a somewhat related story, Stripes.com also reports that, for the first time, men are included on the list of alleged victims in the ongoing sexual abuse and misconduct scandal involving Air Force trainees at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
A male drill instructor stands accused of sexual misconduct with two male recruits attending basic military training, while a female instructor is accused of having a sexual relationship with a man attending technical training, according to officials at Air Education and Training Command.
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