Culture of responsible choices

by Capt. Ebon Alley
Contributing writer

You don’t need to look much further than the headlines from the Air Force Academy over the past 10 years to know that the Air Force has challenges to overcome.

Allegations of sexual assault, academic cheating, cultural intolerance and binge drinking have damaged the reputation of our storied tradition.

Faced with these concerns, the Air Force has established the Culture of Responsible Choices Program. This program is focused on helping Airman and Soldiers gain the skills necessary to make effective choices necessary for success in all aspects of their lives. 

The Culture of Responsible Choices initially got its start from the Responsible Drinking Campaign originated at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. There, the development of the scientifically based 0-0-1-3 Program, (0- ARI’s, 0- DWI/DUI’s, 1 Drink/hr, and 3 Drinks all day) resulted in dramatic decrease in alcohol related incidents. Due to the success of this program, its philosophy of responsible decision making is being generalized to relate to all aspects of our lives.

Establishing a culture of responsible choices represents a cultural shift. It emphasizes the roles of individuals, leadership and of the community for morale, safety, and discipline.  The culture of responsible choices is applicable to a wide range of behaviors that impair mission readiness, such as, alcohol/drug misuse, tobacco use, criminal behavior, fitness deficiencies (diet and exercise), and failure to follow safety and injury prevention guidelines.

The ultimate goal of the program is to reduce mission impact caused by preventable incidents of poor decision making.  This change will not be easy however, and will necessitate re-examining long held beliefs like, “Work hard/play hard” for alternatives like “Work hard/play smart.” By making smarter choices, like having a “Wingman,” and encouraging leadership to foster an atmosphere of help-seeking behavior, we can achieve success.

People are our most valuable resource and we must create a culture of self respect. When you see the culture logo, remember you have choices and these choices influence our military culture, mission readiness, our families and our future as a fighting force to which no one comes close.