Scandal-Plagued Air Force Academy Gets New Leaders Today

A new era will begin at the Air Force Academy today when two new leaders take command, replacing officers reassigned because of a sexual assault scandal.

Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida and Col. Debra Gray will become commandant and vice commandant, respectively, overseeing cadets. Gray will handle sexual assault cases along with her other duties. Two other new officers, including the superintendent, will arrive by the end of May.

Investigations by the Air Force and Defense Department are underway into dozens of reports of rape and sexual assault. Female cadets have said they were punished or ostracized when they reported attacks.

Weida will replace Brig. Gen. Sylvanus Taco Gilbert and was most recently the commander of the Squadron Officer College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.

Gray, who replaces Col. Bob Eskridge, graduated in the first coed class in 1980. She has been assigned to the academy off and on for the last nine years, working directly with cadets.

Later this month, Col. Clada Monteith, currently stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, will replace Col. Laurie Sue Slavec as training group commander. In late May, Maj. Gen. John Rosa will replace Lt. Gen. John Dallager, the academy superintendent.

On Wednesday, the Air Force said it may charge a male cadet with sexual assault in the first prosecution since the scandal broke in January. The military refused to release details of the case.

In the last 10 years, two cadets have been charged with rape. One was acquitted, and the other pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months in jail.

This month, the academy agreed to turn over files in the scandal to El Paso County prosecutors.

The scandal has led to changes at the academy, including clustering female cadets’ dormitory rooms and around-the-clock security; training medical personnel to respond to assault cases; offering amnesty to cadets raising sexual assault allegations; and expelling cadets for underage drinking.

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), who has been instrumental in the changes at the academy, said he isn’t sure how long the investigations will continue but believes most of the large problems have been exposed.

“I am happy to see fresh leadership coming in early so we can wrap up the investigation and move on,” Allard said. “They have good recommendations and they’ve been very cooperative. We’ll put them to work, see what they can do. They have a lot of work to do.”