The top general in the Air Force said the system for dealing with sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy is about to change.

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The Air Force chief of staff had been at the academy for two days looking for answers after a 7NEWS investigation found that female cadets have been punished after reporting being raped.

He spoke with 7NEWS Investigator John Ferrugia one-on-one.

Ferrugia says that it is clear that the results of the 7NEWS investigation have Gen. John Jumper's attention.

The Air Force chief of staff vows a thorough investigation of what is clearly a flawed system and of a leadership at the academy that has failed to fix it.

The academy superintendent, Gen John Dallager, will retire in June. But Jumper says that despite calls in Congress for cleaning house, he is not yet ready to make any further changes in the command staff.

Jumper spent much of his day meeting with various groups of cadets at the academy, trying to understand what has become an environment that many women may feel hostile is to them and tolerant of sexual assault by male cadets.

He later told reporters his message to the cadet wing was clear.

"There is no such thing as loyalty by silence, you don't protect someone you know (if he ) has committed a criminal activity because they themselves have violated the basics of mutual respect," Jumper said.

Jumper said many cadets have expressed skepticism that some of the cases of the women who have come forward are true. But Jumper says regardless, the system is going to change. He said the idea that a woman would be investigated and subsequently punished for violating cadet rules after reporting a rape is not the Air Force way, but is simply wrong.

"There is no circumstance in which a female comes forward and alleges a felony and is willing to talk about the details of that case so we can prosecute the felon ... there is no case then that minor infractions should then be investigated and held against that woman as leverage not to pursue the felony," Jumper said. "And that is what we need to deal with as a matter of priority ... When I find proof that has happened, then we will deal with that in a very severe way."

But while Dallager will retire in June, Jumper is still defending the academy's top brass.

Jumper: Certainly the academy leadership out here is going to be part of this solution.
Ferrugia: But you don't think the academy leadership is part of the problem?
Jumper: I don't. I am not ready to judge that yet because as I have told you, I am out gathering facts and we will make those decisions when we have the facts before us that allow us to make those type of decisions. I am not going to do it out of hand.

The Air Force chief of staff said that he and his boss, Secretary of the Air Force James Roche, are ultimately responsible for the failure of the system at the academy.

He said the two of them are writing letters to the parents of all 218 female cadets who are entering the academy in June, telling them that changes will be in place to assure that their daughters are safe.

He also said that if a war starts with Iraq, he will make sure that this problem at the Air Force Academy is not neglected.

Since we began airing the results of our investigation, there has been a lot of tough talk by those in charge, 7NEWS reported.

However, it remains to be seen what action will be taken, both in the academy and with regard to the women who were forced out, Ferrugia said.

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