Last year TSgt Jennifer Smith filed a federal complaint over the presence of fighter pilots songs and other “traditional” fighter pilot materials found throughout her squadron and on the shared computer drives.  The Air Force recently released some results of the ensuing investigation:

The Air Force has released a report following a six-month investigation, substantiating 16 [of the 38] allegations against eight [of 16] officers at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., who failed to prevent or investigate sexual harassment, condoned or refused to remove sexually offensive material and tolerated on-duty alcohol consumption.

The investigation seems to have targeted every single commander at Shaw Air Force Base.

If you’d like to read the entire 300-page report from the Commander Directed Investigation (CDI), the 17-MB file can be found here.  (The IG’s independent report of the original complaint is here.)  The allegations which were unsubstantiated are almost as interesting as those substantiated.  For example, the Mayor wasn’t found to have conducted himself inappropriately — because the unit commander, not the Mayor, was ultimately responsible for “setting the standards.”

An interesting call out in the press reports:

“Beer lights” turn on after the last jet takes off or lands, according to the findings. Pilots ate popcorn and drank beer during academic sessions. But there was no evidence “pilots remained in a perpetual state of drunkenness,” and most were responsible about it.

This wasn’t the “cleanest” way for “cultural change” to occur in this unit, nor is it clear how much influence this will have on the rest of the fighter pilot community.  Still, it is a positive to see an official stance that “debaucherous” conduct is not defensible, even if “its tradition.”

Still, they called out the popcorn?  At least they left out the jalapeños.

Also at the Air Force Times.

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