Air Force Bans Racy Photos in Workplace

Air Force leaders have decided that it's about time to make sexy pinup photos a thing of the past.

Air Force Times reports that Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has ordered a search of all workplaces and public spaces to root out items such as calendars, posters, and briefing slides that depict scantily clad women. Active, reserve and Air National Guard organizations must report the results of their workplace inspections by Dec. 17. 

The searches will not involve looking into personal computers or property. 

The move comes as the military services are struggling to deal with widespread sexual assaults, including a scandal at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in which 31 women were identified earlier this year as victims of sexual misconduct and assault. The Air Force has projected it will receive 700 reports of sexual assault this year. 

“In my view, all this stuff is connected," Welsh told Air Force Times. "If we’re going to get serious about things like sexual assault, we have to get serious about an environment that could lead to sexual harassment. In some ways this stuff can all be linked. I’m not saying every case is linked, but it could be linked, and why would we want to tolerate there even being a chance of that?”