Air Force Expands Sex Probe

By JULIAN E. BARNES

WASHINGTON—The Air Force is investigating its training units following the disclosure that 31 women recruits have leveled sexual-misconduct charges against instructors at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio.

Air Force Gen. Edward Rice, commander of the Air Education and Training Command, said Thursday that a dozen instructors, nine of them from a single training squadron, are being investigated in a series of incidents stretching over 2½ years, ending in mid-2011.

Independent investigators will examine training practices nationwide in the wake of the Lackland probe. Six of the instructors at the base, where the Air Force conducts basic training for 35,000 recruits a year, have been charged in military courts on allegations ranging from having an improper relationship to rape.

One airman has pleaded guilty to having a relationship with a subordinate and was sentenced to a 90-day confinement and a month of hard labor. Gen. Rice said he will be discharged from the service when his sentence is complete. The others have pleaded not guilty or have yet to enter pleas.

"We are all committed to doing everything possible to investigate those allegations, to take care of the victims, to hold the perpetrators accountable and to fix any institutional problems that may have facilitated this completely unacceptable behavior," Gen. Rice said.

Greg Jacob, policy director at the Service Women's Action Network, a human-rights group founded by women veterans, said the Air Force must do more to hold commanders responsible for failing to oversee the trainers accused of misconduct.

"It's a problem in the command," Mr. Jacob said. It's not just a bad apple. You have a climate that allows these folks to think they can perpetrate these kinds of crimes against trainees with impunity."

Air Force officials said they are considering a range of options to prevent sexual misconduct. One of the most extreme steps would be to have female instructors train female recruits. Only about 11% of instructors are women, compared with about 19% for the Air Force overall.

Officials said Lt. Col. Michael Paquette, commander of the 331st training squadron, where most of the instructors served, has been relieved of duty. Lt. Col. Paquette declined to be interviewed.

Across the military, incidents of sexual assault have been rising, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in recent months announced a series of actions to stop such attacks. Mr. Panetta has formed specialized investigative teams to aid in the prosecution.

Gen. Rice said the misconduct was discovered last year. Some of the 31 cases involved supervisors accused of sexual misconduct with recruits under their command and in basic training. Other alleged improprieties occurred after the service members had completed the 8½ week course. Gen. Rice said the women who had completed the basic course were still in a "technical training environment."

While Gen. Rice said the problem appears "localized," the service is reviewing its training practices and supervision of instructors. The investigators will also examine how quickly the training command reacted to the allegations.

Write to Julian E. Barnes at julian.barnes@wsj.com

A version of this article appeared June 29, 2012, on page A3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Air Force Expands Sex Probe.