***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Responds to CBS Investigation of Sexual Assault at Air Force Academy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2017

*** STATEMENT ***

PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS RESPONDS TO CBS INVESTIGATION
OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AT US AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Former Air Force Chief Prosecutor and POD President calls on the Academy’s new Superintendent to take responsibility and do more to address sexual assault on campus

Washington, D.C. – A six-month CBS News investigation has found that more than a dozen current and former cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy face retaliation after reporting being sexually assaulted. In an interview, the Academy’s new superintendent, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, swept the issue under the rug, saying, “I don’t think there are problems” with sexual assault or how the Academy handled the cases.

Today, former Chief Prosecutor for the Air Force and President of Protect Our Defenders Colonel (ret.) Don Christensen appeared on CBS today and responded to the investigation:

“He [Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria] never once talked about holding offenders accountable. That is a huge failure. You have to do more. Support is great, but when you have people out there who are being hurt you need to make sure that somebody is holding those who hurt them accountable… Failing to do so denies this country women who want to serve. This is a retention issue. This is a recruiting issue. This is the ability for America to bring the fight to the enemy.”

One of the cadets who was assaulted at the Academy was asked by CBS’ Norah O’Donnell if she regretted reporting her assault. The cadet said, “I regret it every day. I regret it every day, because of everything that came after. I just wish that I had never came forward. Because I never asked to be assaulted.”

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