Col. Glenn Palmer delivered his first order to nearly 600 recruits and said you must inform somebody if you are sexually harassed or assaulted, AP reported.
“My job is to give you a safe, effective training environment,” Palmer said.
The colonel did not mention directly to a widening sex scandal that has rocked the base.
There have been allegations that male instructors had sex with, and in one case raped, female trainees have led to criminal charges against four men. Charges against others are possible.
The most serious accusations surround an Air Force staff sergeant scheduled to face a court-martial in July on charges that include rape and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault.
The other three defendants were charged with lesser crimes ranging from sexual misconduct to adultery. All of the defendants were assigned to turn raw recruits into airmen in eight weeks of basic training.
Advocates for female service members and members of Congress have started taking notice.
“It’s a pretty big scandal the Air Force is having to deal with at this point,” said Greg Jacob, a former Marine infantry officer and policy director of the Service Women’s Action Network. “It’s pretty substantial in its scope.”
Lackland has about 475 instructors for the nearly 36,000 airmen who will graduate this year.
AGB/JR
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