New Air Force leaders vow to shift culture. (Newswatch).(women's safety and rape)(Brief Article)

In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal at the Air Force Academy that included 56 female cadets reporting being raped and then being disciplined or ostracized, two new leaders promised less talk and more action.

"We must ensure an environment that is free of discrimination, harassment, intimidation or assault of any kind," said the new commandant of cadets, Brig Gen. Johnny A. Weida. Col. Debra Gray, the new vice commandant, was in the academy's 1980 graduating class, the first to include women. She will handle sexual assault cases and work on rewriting the cadet training manual.

Other planned changes at the academy include clustering female cadets' rooms and providing 24-hour security, training medical staff to respond to assault cases, expelling underage cadets who drink and offering amnesty for cadets reporting sexual assaults. In the past, female cadets reporting sexual assaults have been punished for minor infractions such as drinking and fraternizing with older cadets.

In fact, the ...