The Chief of the U.S. Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response branch was arrested this weekend and accused of sexual battery.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington, Va., was arrested Sunday morning, according to the Arlington police. He’s accused of approaching a woman in a parking lot and grabbing her breasts and buttocks, according to the crime report. He has been removed from his position, an Air Force spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.
Krusinski has served in Afghanistan, in addition to serving as the deputy expeditionary mission support group commander at Joint Base Balad in Iraq, and commander of 6th Force Support Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he lettered in baseball.
The Air Force has recently experienced a string of sexual harassment and assault incidents, including several incidents at the Air Force’s basic training facility, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where more than a dozen training instructors have been convicted of misconduct with trainees, from fraternization to sexual assault and where additional cases are under investigation.
The Department of Defense’s answer came swiftly and was unequivocal:
This evening Secretary Hagel spoke to Air Force Secretary Donley about allegations of misconduct involving an Air Force officer who had been responsible for the service’s sexual assault and prevention efforts and was removed today from his position pending the outcome of an investigation. Secretary Hagel expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations and emphasized that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
Secretary Hagel has been directing the department’s leaders to elevate their focus on sexual assault prevention and response, and he will soon announce next steps in our ongoing efforts to combat this vile crime.
Sexual assault has no place in the United States military. The American people, including our service members, should expect a culture of absolutely no tolerance for this deplorable behavior that violates not only the law, but basic principles of respect, honor, and dignity in our society and its military. Secretary Hagel is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of behavior in America’s armed forces and will take action to see this through.
