Sexual Ethics, Organizational Climate, and the Air Expeditionary Force

The established Air Force standards prohibiting adultery, fraternization, and unprofessional relationships have long recognized these acts as counter to good order and discipline due to the resulting negative impact on unit cohesion and morale. In the last 10 years, three major factors have combined to make sexual misconduct an increasing topic of concern for the USAF-the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation cycle, the steadily increasing gender mix serving on active duty, and additional combat roles that have opened to women. Focusing on AEF deployments and Air Force military members, this paper explores societal attitudes and value systems influencing sexual ethics, the Air Force's current approach to instilling values as compared to other military branches, whether there's a better ethical model to help members internalize existing standards, and to tie together some practical actions the commander can take at deployed locations to encourage upholding of established standards. Research for this paper included reviews of Air Force doctrine, operating instructions, and publications; sister service publications; technical articles and books in the fields of ethics, sociology, and philosophy; and general magazine/newspaper articles.