Air Force Sexual Assault convictions unveiled

  • Published
  • By Col. Stephen Williams
  • 35th Fighter Wing Commander
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Air Force has always had a zero-tolerance policy on sexual assaults, and the prevention of such heinous acts is one of my top priorities.

Unfortunately, until recently, few within the Air Force knew what was happening with sexual assaults that occurred within our ranks. The good news is Airmen are being held accountable for their actions by military judges and court-martial panels across the Air Force, and the details of these convictions are now easily accessible and open to all. In an effort to get back to basics and to help prevent future sexual assaults, the Air Force now publishes court-martial convictions on-line.

The website documents more than 100 convictions from across the Air Force. After just a few minutes read, it is apparent to me that many sexual assault cases involve the same three factors: 1) the use of alcohol, 2) the absence of personal respect for the victim and 3) the absence of the any clear consent by the victims.

The cases also demonstrate that Airmen who are convicted of sexual assault receive jail time, rank reductions and punitive discharges.

In addition to the new AFJAG page, the 35th Fighter Wing Staff Judge Advocate office also hosts a similar page through the 35 FW Public Affairs office. There have been three articles written since June 2011 on sexual assault convictions here, which have been published through PA on our JAG page on the Misawa website. A number of these cases involve Airmen assaulting fellow Airmen and more often than not, the victims knew and trusted their assailant.

As required by all state laws, convicted Airmen must also register in their jurisdiction's sexual assault registry. These sex offender lists include the names and addresses of convicted sex offenders, and are publicly available on-line.

By posting stories to the court-martial conviction website the Air Force is going "back to basics." Publicizing it is a proven approach that has a deterrent effect in our military communities.

Much like the Air Force's website and the sex offender's registry, Misawa's JAG conviction page is an effective deterrence tool as well.

People like to look up issues affecting their community and since we started posting these articles on social media sites, we've received many positive comments. Additionally, people can like the story and share it with others, helping us spread the message even more.

In another sexual assault preventive effort, effective July 3, Airmen who commit a sexual assault will have administrative discharge proceedings initiated against them and may be retained only if they meet a cumulative multi-part test. For Airmen at this base, only the 5th Air Force Commander can waive the mandatory discharge and only after concluding the Airman meets the same multi-part retention test.

Here at Misawa, our organizational prevention-based practices are encouraged by leadership involvement. I teamed up with our public affairs experts to create "Find Your Voice" videos covering topics like Sexual Assault and DUIs. Hopefully these videos, in addition to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response campaign, will help everyone speak up when they see things that need to be fixed.

I encourage all Airmen to visit the website and review the facts of the cases, which resulted in Airmen being convicted of sexual offenses. Then educate and warn fellow Airmen about the consequences of committing these crimes.

When you see a situation that isn't right, be a good wingman; intervene, and insist your fellow Airman treat others with respect. You will regret being a passive bystander when a few words of intervention can forever positively change the lives of Airmen around you.

Please visit the websites:
The Judge Advocate General's Corps
Misawa Air Base Legal Page