Attacking Corrosion

Air Force officials intend to restrict the amount of time airmen can serve as military training instructors at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., from four years to three years, saying the challenges for instructors at Basic Military Training can create a “corrosive” environment if they are “exposed” to them for too long. “We have to pay attention to how long we allow someone to serve in these positions,” said Gen. Ed Rice, head of Air Education and Training Command, during a Jan. 23 House Armed Services Committee hearing. The MTIs’ duty day also will be divided so that no instructor will have constant contact with trainees, added Rice. These moves are just part of the changes that the Air Force is implementing after a series of sexual misconduct cases rocked the service last year. “I will never stop attacking this problem,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh at the same hearing when discussing the initiatives across the service to combat sexual abuse. Service leaders are also “in the process of contracting” for a follow-up to a 2010 Gallup survey that looked at the prevalence of sexual assault in the Air Force, said Rice. The 2013 survey will look to “see which direction we happen to be moving,” he said. (Welsh’s prepared testimony)