COLLINS QUESTIONS CIVILIAN PANEL ON REPORT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AT US AIR FORCE ACADEMY

WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Susan Collins today questioned the members of the civilian panel that was charged with reviewing sexual misconduct allegations at the US Air Force Academy. The panel, which was appointed by President Bush, released a report on the prevalence of sexual misconduct at the Air Force Academy and recommendations about how to address this problem. The seven-member review panel discussed their findings during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Senator Collins is a member.

The panel reported to have found that "the Air Force has known for many years that sexual assault was a serious problem at the Academy. Despite that knowledge and periodic attempts at intervention, the problem has continued to plague the Academy to this day. The regular turnover of Air Force and Academy leadership, together with inconsistent command supervision and a lack of meaningful and effective external oversight, undermined efforts to alter the culture of the Academy." (full report available on-line at: )

"The Secretary of the Air Force must take responsibility for grievances at the Academy that occurred under his watch, he should have and must now show leadership in accomplishing significant change. There must be aggressive internal and external oversight to make sure Academy leadership does not continue to turn a blind eye to violent acts against women," said Senator Collins.

The civilian report found that over the past decade, there was an average of more than 14 allegations of sexual assault per year. A survey this past May by the Department of Defense Inspector General revealed that 24.2 percent of female cadets in the class of 2003 reported to have been victims of a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, while nearly half that group, 11.7 percent of those cadets, said they were victims of rape or attempted rape.

"It is appalling to me that I have encouraged young women to apply to the academies, and made recommendations for them to attend, all the while not knowing that they were being put in danger by being there."

The panel report concluded that current steps to correct the problems at the Academy must go further to institutionalize permanent change. It recommended that Academy and Air Force leadership take steps to change the culture at the Academy, put into place permanent and consistent oversight by Air Force Headquarters, improve external oversight by the Academy's Board of Visitors, and reinstate a confidentiality policy so that sexual assault victims will feel safe reporting violence against them and can receive proper counseling and treatment.