MHAFB leaders work to prevent sexual assault Published June 26, 2013 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Mountain Home Air Force Base leadership directly addressed sexual assault with all military and civilian personnel during a mandatory Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Stand-down Day, Monday, June 24. The stand-down day, which was directed by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, began with a wing-wide meeting where all Airmen and civilian employees watched a video message from Welsh and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody discussing the importance of preventing sexual assault in the Air Force and taking care of one another. Col. Christopher Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander, spoke to base personnel about creating a permanent change in Air Force culture and expressed the wing's commitment to prevent and respond to sexual assault through a balance of focused education, compassionate support, and accountability to promote respect and dignity. "Sexual assault is a crime. It undermines the trust our Airmen have in their chain-of-command and ultimately our ability to be mission-ready," said Short. "This is a commander's issue, and I've charged my commanders with eliminating incidents through awareness and prevention education." Units later participated in small-group discussions with trained facilitators who provided statistics on sexual assault and information on how to stop it. MHAFB personnel provided verbal and written feedback in an effort to inform commanders on how they can better confront this issue. For additional information about the U.S. Air Force's efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault, please visit http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/sapr/index.asp.