Air Force sweep nets porn, 'offensive' items
WASHINGTON -- Hoping to fight sexual assault in its own ranks, the Air Force said yesterday a sweep of air base offices worldwide found thousands of suspect materials ranging from pornographic films to a beer bong.
It's not clear what the inspection, and the odd assortment of items it turned up, tells Air Force leaders about the link between the workplace environment and the growing problem of sexual violence. But it was meant to impress on Air Force commanders that they need to attack the underlying problem of unprofessionalism.
"We have a significant number of airmen who feel they have to 'go along to get along' by ignoring inappropriate images, workplace comments or other material that makes them uncomfortable. That's simply not the Air Force we want to be," the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, said in a statement. He ordered the inspections in late November.
The Air Force fell into the public spotlight on this issue partly because of revelations of sexual abuse of female recruits. An investigation last year found that 23 instructors allegedly engaged in inappropriate or coercive sexual relationships with 48 recruits.
Gen. Larry O. Spencer, the Air Force vice chief of staff, said yesterday the inspections of offices and other work spaces at about 100 facilities in December found more than 32,000 items judged to be pornographic, unprofessional or offensive.
The Air Force said the no-notice or short-notice inspections found 631 items judged to be pornographic, including magazines, calendars, photos and videos.
They also turned up 3,987 items deemed unprofessional. Examples: a beer bong and World War II-era airplane nose art depicting a fully clothed but "promiscuous" woman, according to an Air Force document listing all the items.
Among 27,598 items categorized as "offensive": lewd cartoons, a copy of the Air Times newspaper's "Hot Shots 2013" calendar with women in "provocative" poses, a picture of professional football player Tom Brady shirtless, a Confederate flag and a poster of Osama bin Laden.
