US Air Force faces growing sex scandal

June 29, 2012 08:38

The US Air Force has said at least 31 female cadets were victims of alleged sexual assault by military instructors in a widening scandal at the service's training command.

General Edward Rice, commander of Air Education and Training Command, said on Thursday that authorities are investigating 12 male training instructors for suspected sexual misconduct at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas.

He said nine of the 12 instructors were from the 331st Training Squadron, and that the problem appeared to be confined mostly to that unit.

The commander of the squadron was relieved of his duty earlier this month over the allegations, Rice told a news conference at the Pentagon.

It was unclear how long sexual misconduct had been going on at Lackland but the Air Force believed the abuses dated back to 2009, he said.

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