Air Force Secretary Michael Donley met with the Basic Military Training leadership and military training instructors at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., to see first-hand how they are instituting corrective actions following a sexual abuse scandal in BMT. “It was important for me to talk to the commander and the military training instructors about their experiences, and the status of corrective actions that have been put in place the last several months,” said Donley of his Oct. 23 visit in a base release. He added, “I want their sense of the direction we need to go to ensure the misconduct that has occurred here doesn’t happen again.” During an hour-long feedback session with MTIs, Donley said he was proud of the work that they do to develop the next generation of airmen, but they and he also discussed the challenges ahead, according to the release. Lackland’s 737th Training Group, which oversees BMT, has already implemented 13 changes to prevent future abuse. They include, “unannounced daily visits from BMT leadership,” “disallowing ‘closed door’ counseling sessions,” and “doubling the number of MTIs assigned to controlled quarters after lights out,” states the release.
NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.