In a major policy shift stemming from the sex scandal at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the Air Force may end the practice of assigning staff sergeants as basic training instructors.
A memo outlining the proposal says that no one under the rank of technical sergeant — which is one stripe above staff sergeant — generally would be eligible for the job.
It says “exceptional (staff sergeant) applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a minimum of one-year time in grade.”
While the Air Force didn't explain the purpose of restricting the career field to more senior noncommissioned officers, a retired colonel who once oversaw the service's justice system said Tuesday it's likely designed to create a more mature instructor corps.
“I'd say it's a significant change, and I think certainly the intent is in general to get more experience and more maturity,” said Morris Davis, who investigated an Air Force Academy sex scandal before supervising the service's judiciary in 2007-08. “Obviously, a tech sergeant is going to be a little older, have several more years of experience.”
The scandal, first uncovered by commanders here more than 15 months ago, will trigger a wave of changes at Lackland, the home of Air Force basic training.
Gen. Edward Rice Jr., head of the Air Education and Training Command, is expected to unveil dozens of initiatives later this month along with the results of an investigation.
The Air Force said Tuesday that 24 basic-training instructors have been or are under investigation, and that 48 women have been listed as victims.
Not all of the victims were involved in sexual relationships. Some instructors contacted them on social media sites like Facebook.
So far, five of the seven instructors charged or convicted in courts martial this year were staff sergeants, including one who was given 20 years,
The change in how training instructors are selected could be among those revealed by Rice, but an AETC spokeswoman, Maj. Carla Gleason, said the memo written by Lackland's 37th Training Wing “may have been posted prematurely.”
“It's just part of the larger proposal, so there are lots of moving pieces ... and Gen. Rice plans to brief the entire proposal to the public at some point, and this is part of that larger effort,” she said.
Ultimately, the Air Force said that Rice, as head of the training command, will make the final call on most of the changes, including how instructors are selected.
The decision to shut out staff sergeants from the training corps, which the memo said would take effect immediately if approved, would force a substantial makeover.
Nearly half of the instructors in the ranks are staff sergeants — 202 in all. Another 195 technical sergeants are in the 497-strong training corps.
There will be more women in the training corps and more instructors overall.
There are 434 men in the instructor corps today and just 63 women. The command has announced an initiative to double the number of instructors. It would have four training instructors, one of them a woman, on duty for every two flights, or individual units.
The memo, which appeared to be a training wing effort to recruit instructor candidates, said that the increased manning would “significantly improve MTI quality of life, reduce traditionally long duty hours, and offer instructors increased schedule flexibility.”
Those in the corps join it voluntarily, but the Air Force has at times struggled to sign up instructors. No one has said how they would boost the corps' total force or how it could grow without the continued presence of staff sergeants.
The proposal, however, drew a skeptical response from one critic who has called for profound changes in the way sexual assaults are investigated and prosecuted.
“My initial thought is it seems like a reasonable new policy, but of course it is not fundamental change,” said Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders, which wants sexual assault cases removed from the chain of command. “One could argue that higher ranking trainers would be more stepped in the cultural biases of the military.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mi...Lackland-rules-eyed-4013832.php#ixzz2BZNiT5dv
A memo outlining the proposal says that no one under the rank of technical sergeant — which is one stripe above staff sergeant — generally would be eligible for the job.
It says “exceptional (staff sergeant) applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a minimum of one-year time in grade.”
While the Air Force didn't explain the purpose of restricting the career field to more senior noncommissioned officers, a retired colonel who once oversaw the service's justice system said Tuesday it's likely designed to create a more mature instructor corps.
“I'd say it's a significant change, and I think certainly the intent is in general to get more experience and more maturity,” said Morris Davis, who investigated an Air Force Academy sex scandal before supervising the service's judiciary in 2007-08. “Obviously, a tech sergeant is going to be a little older, have several more years of experience.”
The scandal, first uncovered by commanders here more than 15 months ago, will trigger a wave of changes at Lackland, the home of Air Force basic training.
Gen. Edward Rice Jr., head of the Air Education and Training Command, is expected to unveil dozens of initiatives later this month along with the results of an investigation.
The Air Force said Tuesday that 24 basic-training instructors have been or are under investigation, and that 48 women have been listed as victims.
Not all of the victims were involved in sexual relationships. Some instructors contacted them on social media sites like Facebook.
So far, five of the seven instructors charged or convicted in courts martial this year were staff sergeants, including one who was given 20 years,
The change in how training instructors are selected could be among those revealed by Rice, but an AETC spokeswoman, Maj. Carla Gleason, said the memo written by Lackland's 37th Training Wing “may have been posted prematurely.”
“It's just part of the larger proposal, so there are lots of moving pieces ... and Gen. Rice plans to brief the entire proposal to the public at some point, and this is part of that larger effort,” she said.
Ultimately, the Air Force said that Rice, as head of the training command, will make the final call on most of the changes, including how instructors are selected.
The decision to shut out staff sergeants from the training corps, which the memo said would take effect immediately if approved, would force a substantial makeover.
Nearly half of the instructors in the ranks are staff sergeants — 202 in all. Another 195 technical sergeants are in the 497-strong training corps.
There will be more women in the training corps and more instructors overall.
There are 434 men in the instructor corps today and just 63 women. The command has announced an initiative to double the number of instructors. It would have four training instructors, one of them a woman, on duty for every two flights, or individual units.
The memo, which appeared to be a training wing effort to recruit instructor candidates, said that the increased manning would “significantly improve MTI quality of life, reduce traditionally long duty hours, and offer instructors increased schedule flexibility.”
Those in the corps join it voluntarily, but the Air Force has at times struggled to sign up instructors. No one has said how they would boost the corps' total force or how it could grow without the continued presence of staff sergeants.
The proposal, however, drew a skeptical response from one critic who has called for profound changes in the way sexual assaults are investigated and prosecuted.
“My initial thought is it seems like a reasonable new policy, but of course it is not fundamental change,” said Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders, which wants sexual assault cases removed from the chain of command. “One could argue that higher ranking trainers would be more stepped in the cultural biases of the military.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mi...Lackland-rules-eyed-4013832.php#ixzz2BZNiT5dv