Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has sent an email to commanders describing when airmen's personal computers and cell phones can be searched. The email was in response to an Oct. 19 Air Force Times story about three pilots who received letters of reprimand for text messages deemed to be unprofessional.

The three instructor pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, lost their wings after investigators searched their phones on suspicion that they were using drugs. The pilots claimed their texts they were referencing pop culture songs by Miley Cyrus and other artists. Investigators found no evidence the pilots had actually used drugs

After two Congressmen asked him about the incident, Welsh asked the Air Force inspector general to look into the matter.

"Through all the different ways in which airmen communicate and interact, respect and dignity are essential," Welsh wrote in his Oct. 20 email, which was obtained by Air Force Times. "It doesn't matter whether it's in person, by text, twitter, or the latest social media app, we are all personally accountable for what we say and post."

Welsh reiterated that the Air Force can only search airmen's phones and computers if it establishes probable causes that a crime or regulatory violation has been committed, the email says. Investigators also need to obtain a search authorization from a military magistrate.

"Airmen don't have to worry if they're doing what's right," Welsh wrote in the email.

However, Lt. Col. Tony Carr (ret.) seized on that statement, arguing in his military blog John Q. Public that Welsh was saying that airmen's protections against unlawful search and seizure are contingent on them always "doing what's right."

"It's not that airmen have nothing to fear if they're doing what is right," wrote Carr, who first reported on Welsh's email to commanders. "It's that they have a right to privacy unless we can show probable cause they're doing something criminal. Welsh has his presumption situated in the wrong place, and it calls into question just how fit he and his fellow senior officers are to run a legal system."

Air Force spokesman Christopher Karns said airmen do have an expectation of privacy when they use their personal cellphones, but they are also expected to live up to Air Force standards on professional behavior that they are continually taught from the moment they join the service.

"It's important to realize that there is an expectation that exists that people abide by the core values; that they will follow what is outlined in Air Force instructions and what was taught to them at the training courses that we've all received," Karns told Air Force Times on Oct. 22. "I don't think that's unreasonable."

Although investigators found no evidence In the case of the three Laughlin pilots : Investigators found no evidence that they had actually used drugs, but their commander, Col. Brian Hastings, stripped them of their wings and gave them letters of reprimand for making drug references in their text messages. A fourth pilot was exonerated at an Article 15 hearing.

Karns said he could not speak specifically about the case because it is under investigation. In general, airmen need to have an understanding with their chain of command about what is considered appropriate behavior, he said.

When asked if airmen can be punished for saying something they regret because inappropriate comments can rise to the level of a crime, Karns did not answer directly.

"You're making the assumption that there's no processes in place to help airmen who may not be able to resolve things through a chain of command," he said. "That's simply not true. You still have the IG. You have congressionals [(investigations)] you can file. There's a whole host of activity where if a commander makes a decision, it's not necessarily the final decision."

The Laughlin pilots are being supported by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who met with Welsh on Oct. 5 after both lawmakers wrote him a letter arguing that the three pilots' punishment was excessive.

"An injustice like this cannot be allowed to stand," Joe Kasper, a spokesman for Hunter, told Air Force Times. "Because if it does, it creates a precedent that ultimately has a detrimental effect on morale, retention and the future capability and effectiveness of the entire United States Air Force."

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