The United States Air Force’s top general apologised on Friday to the 54 women cadets who said they were raped or sexually assaulted at the Air Force Academy over the last decade but said he had no plans to fire anyone ‘‘just to grab tomorrow morning’s headlines.’’‘‘I apologise to any victim who is still out there,’’ said Air Force Chief of Staff John P. Jumper. ‘‘But I am not going to sit here and say I am firing the current leadership. Changes will be made, but I going to fix the problem first and I don’t think the problems start with the current generation of leadership.’’ Jumper, who spent two days at the beleaguered academy in closed-door talks with cadets and officers, told reporters he wanted all victims to come forward and would consider amnesty for those who broke academy rules before their attacks. He also announced that he and Air Force Secretary James Roche would write letters to the families of all incoming female cadets vouching for the climate and safety of the institution. ‘‘We will assure them that they can be proud of this institution,’’ Jumper said. Roche has ordered the Inspector General’s office of the Department of Defence to examine all rape complaints to see if due process was followed. The Air Force Academy has been shaken over the last few weeks by escalating charges from current and former cadets claiming they were raped or sexually assaulted by male cadets and officers and then ignored or retaliated against when they complained. And the numbers continue to rise — from 25 last week to 54 as of Friday. Reports of sexual assault aren’t new to the academy. A 1994 report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said 78 per cent of the 90 women at the academy had been victims of unwanted sexual advances or assault. The Air Force has dispatched investigators to the academy to examine its policies toward sexual assault. (LATWP)
