In this latest of NY Times articles on problems at the U.S. Air Force Academy they talk about an informant put in place by the OSI because of complaints of sexual harassment. Quite a bit seems to have been uncovered in more than one area of unseemliness, reports pick up from other classmates…then angry alumni step in. The undercover cadet who was assigned to go to all the parties and record misdeeds for the OSI is expelled for going to those parties, and the OSI mysteriously won’t release any records about the program he was in to back up his story and exonerate him. The investigator who was his handler “was transferred to a job emptying trash cans and vacuuming offices.”
The supposed conflict with such undercover work and the integrity of the U.S.A.F. Academy is this: The Honor Code of The Academy is “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.” The operative word here being “lie”. Ignoring all the cheating, illegal drug taking and sexual harassment going on, the opposition(inside the Academy, in the military proper and the alumni) focused entirely on the “lying” done by the undercover cadet and his handler, making them the sole villain in this story.
So just this once, full marks for “Are you a cop? Because you have to tell me, if you’re a cop.”
Apparently so. What with the Honor Code being written before female cadets were a possibility, rape just isn’t covered under that “integrity” thing, right?
Well, if it’s not lying, or cheating, or stealing, or tolerating lie/cheat/stealers…
Deception and subterfuge have no place in warfare.
With the USAFA, most likely it’s a coverup.
Well the air force dept. Of investigations apparently codenamed their investigation of the football team “Operation Gridiron”. So apparently subterfuge really isn’t their strong suit.
The name “Operation Drop Kick” was already taken. Twice, in fact.
I’m confused. Why use a legitimate student candidate as an informant? Why not just plant someone?
He was going to parties for Academy students–as a student. They couldn’t just drop a civililan into that setting & expect results.
But they should have straightened out that “honor code” thing before embarking on the project.
Straighten it out how?
I’m curious: Who did he lie to? When did he cheat? What did he steal?
Instead of kicking out the informant, the Academy should have expelled every single student who witnessed the violations of the Academy’s rules and said nothing. They are the ones who did not live up to the honor code.
They should be reminded that the law takes absolute precedence over any ״code".