The military justice system gives a commander the power to nullify the verdict of a military jury, as is the case with a former inspector general whose conviction for sex assault was tossed by a three-star general.
In this week’s edition, Air Force Times explains how much power the convening authority has and how often clemency is granted in sex assault convictions.
In other news, the Air Force has adopted a new test for synthetic marijuana, known as “spice,” that detects the substance six to eight weeks after it was ingested.
You can read how an Air Force Academy cadet devised the test while doing research into biofuel last summer.
Also this week, airmen who have received the Purple Heart for Traumatic Brain Injury are telling their stories to help others identify symptoms of the injury and seek treatment.
One officer suffered for five years after surviving a roadside bomb blast before his TBI was finally identified and treated.
Meanwhile: Survival, evasion, resistance and escape training could be the gender-neutral model for fitness now that U.S. Special Operations Command is looking at the physical and mental standards of combat jobs currently closed to women.
Both men and women have to meet the same demanding physical standards – exactly what the Defense Department is looking for.
And the Air Force is making up for lost time by promoting more intelligence officers to the general officer corps after years of neglecting the intelligence career field. It will take time before the Air Force can fill more two- and three- star billets with intelligence officers.
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