Air Force Academy Launches Investigation into Institutional Culture

Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson has asked the USAFA Inspector General to examine the culture within the Air Force Academy, according to a statement released this week. “These efforts will help in eliminating subcultures at the Air Force’s Academy whose climates do not align with our institutional core values,” said Johnson, who pledged continued transparency as the investigations get underway. The statement addressed reports of drug use and sexual abuse by members of the football team and other students between 2010 and 2012, following a recent report in the Colorado Springs Gazette that detailed parties at which “a core group of top football players smoked synthetic marijuana, drank themselves sick, and may have used date-rape drugs.” The discovery led to “the disenrollment and prosecution of several intercollegiate, as well as other, cadets,” said Johnson. In addition, Johnson said she and members of her senior staff have “visited the Athletic Department on several occasions to meet with the coaches and administrators to communicate my expectations and to highlight their important role in cadet development. The Athletic Department has responded. They’ve implemented several programs to ensure all cadet-athletes are living up to the Air Force’s core values,” according to the statement.