Rape on U.S. bases

Washington, D.C.

Military investigators concluded this week that the Air Force would have to enact deep “institutional change” to stamp out sexual attacks on its bases. A study of 85 installations in the U.S. and overseas indicated that rape was more common than many commanders believed. Many women reportedly decided not to report assaults because they were afraid they would be punished. The investigation began in February, after dozens of current and former cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado said they had been sexually assaulted by fellow cadets. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas said up to two dozen women were raped in 2002 at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.