The seven-member panel said the air force leadership has known at least since 1993 that sexual assaults of cadets was a serious problem at the Colorado school, but failed to take effective action.

As recently as June, a study of conditions at the school by the air force general counsel "attempted to shield air force headquarters from public criticism by focusing exclusively on events at the academy," the panel said in a scathing report.

"The failure of the academy and the air force headquarters leadership to respond aggressively and in a timely and committed way to eliminate causes of serious problems was a failure of leadership," said the report.

"Those responsible should be held accountable."

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appointed the panel in the wake of allegations that dozens of female cadets had been sexually assaulted or raped at the school but were ignored by school leaders and in some cases even punished for other infractions.

The air force in April replaced the academy's superintendent and other top officers in response to the scandal.

The panel's report specifically called for an inspector general's investigation into the actions of three officers: the academy's former commandant of cadets, Brigadier General S. Taco Gilbert; its dean of faculty, Brigadier General David Wagie; and Colonel Laurie Slavec, the former commander of the 34th Training Wing.

Rumsfeld was reviewing the panel's recommendations but had made no decisions whether to act on them, said Michelle Shortencarrier, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

"During the 10-year period from January 1, 1993 through December 31, 2002, there were 142 allegations of sexual assault at the academy, for an average of more than 14 allegations per year," the report said.

"Academy and air force leaders knew or should have known that this data was an unmistakable warning sign and quite possibly signaled an even larger crisis."

Tillie Fowler, a former Republican member of Congress from Florida who chaired the panel, praised the quick response to the crisis by Air Force Secretary James Roche and Chief of Staff General John Jumper but she said the problems were "real and continue to this day."

"We are impressed with the leadership of Secretary Roche and General Jumper after a decade of inaction and failure," she said.

"However, the members of this panel want to be clear: The agenda for change should be seen as a blueprint, an initial step for reversing years of institutional ineffectiveness."

Among the panel's 21 recommendations was a call for a system that would allow confidential reporting of sexual assaults. The air force recently eliminated such a policy on grounds it had served as a bar to prosecution.

But Fowler said prosecution should be balanced against the treatment and support of victims, and warned the new policy could have the unintended effect of discouraging reporting of sexual assaults.

The panel also recommended that a board of visitors be given oversight responsibilities over the academy.

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