Yes, at least in the US, a single incident is likely to destroy a commissioned officer’s career. They might not be kicked out immediately, but they won’t get promoted, and will eventually be dismissed for failure to promote.
Enlisted personnel have it a bit better because the standards of behavior are lower. A Corporal caught fighting could be busted down to Private First Class and continue their career at that level and eventually make Corporal again in a few years and maybe Sergeant beyond that. It hurts, sure, but it doesn’t mean the end of your career.
I don’t entirely agree. I have seen some pretty major incidents not take someone down because a) they learned from it, b) they had potential to go far and c) it remained within the chain of command - officer and non-commissioned.
The biggest issue isn’t even the weird crime - he shamed the uniform and his command and he did it in public and in the media. It’s actually not impossible for him to redeem himself, but it would be so difficult he would really have to want to make it work.
He’ll receive career counseling. It’ll be pointed out to him that there are NO captain’s bars in his future and if he’s a 2nd lieutenant, there are no silver bars in his future. If he doesn’t resign his commission after he’s fulfilled his commitment, he’ll be RIFed out due to failure to be promoted. And he’ll probably be transferred to the worst duty station they can find. Maybe he’ll finish up his AF career as the assistant sanitation officer at AFB Thule, Greenland.
I seriously doubt a further overseas assignment is in his near future career outlook. One must pass a screening for overseas service. There are performance standards which must be met or to be eligible for such an assignment. It’s probably safe to say the Lieutenant in question isn’t meeting those standards at the moment.
