Air Force discusses sexual assault prevention

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daryl Knee
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Airmen with the 52nd Fighter Wing paused their daily operations June 25 to discuss the negative impact of sexual assault in today's Air Force.

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Stand Down Day was a mandated day of reflection for wing commanders to educate their Airmen on how to prevent what is becoming the service's top challenge.

"I need you to put on your thinking caps and be serious in your small group sessions to brainstorm solutions," said Col. David Julazadeh, 52nd FW commander. "This is about trying to come up with ways to combat the problem. Ultimately, it's a culture change -- we need to make the Air Force a place to be proud of."

The Stand Down Day included large-group forums, smaller breakout sessions and direct involvement with experts from the legal office and the Area Defense Council. The focus of the discussions included the duty and obligation Airmen have to uphold the Air Force core values of integrity, service and excellence.

However, these ideals are generally accepted in every branch of the Department of Defense as a higher standard of conduct for service members.

"The overall goal is to reduce or eliminate sexual assaults with the purpose of making the military a better place," said Capt. Jeffrey Garber, Air Force Legal Operations Agency's ADC for Spangdahlem. "But today is not about the legal process, it's about changing the culture."

A recent poll and study of Air Force sexual assaults revealed that 19 percent of females and 2 percent of males experienced an assault within their careers. Of those, 3 percent of female and 0.5 percent of male assaults occurred within the past year.

"Sexual assault is a crime against our friends and family members, and it cannot and will not be tolerated," said Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander. "Take advantage of (the SAPR Stand Down Day) to discuss professional ethics and standards and the debilitating consequences that sexual assaults have on our people and readiness."

Each Air Force base has a sexual assault response coordinator and staff members dedicated to creating educational items, supporting the needs of victims and enhancing assault awareness, and the SAPR Down Day was another tool senior leaders used for prevention efforts.