The Utah National Guard launched an investigation into the possible use of military “equipment, facilities, and personnel” in a photo shoot with British models, television station KSTU reported on Thursday.
A YouTube video showed scantily clad models shooting guns and straddling tanks in a promotional campaign for the “Hot Shots 2015” calendar.
KSTU reported that, in addition to a special thanks to the “Soldiers of the 19th Special Forces Group,” people thought to be members of the National Guard appeared in the video.
The Utah National Guard’s Lt. Col. Steven Fairbourn told KSTU that the investigation sought to determine whether their “equipment, facilities, and personnel” were used in the video. Fairbourn told the station that the photo shoot was not authorized by the National Guard.
“An investigation was initiated by the Utah National Guard on Oct. 14 to determine potential unauthorized use of military equipment, facilities, and personnel in the Hot Shots 2015 calendar production.
Productions of this kind are not in keeping with the values of the Utah National Guard nor its members.
Use of military equipment, facilities, and personnel in civilian for-profit endeavors such as this requires approval of National Guard Bureau Public Affairs through the respective state National Guard Headquarters. There was no official approval for this project. The investigation will determine if Utah National Guard equipment, facilities, and personnel were used in the Hot Shots 2015 calendar production and required actions if this is the case.”
Utah’s House Minority Leader Jennifer Seelig (D) told KSTU that she was concerned about the shoot.
“If this video was shot at a government restricted facility using government specialized military equipment, either leadership knew about this or their security protocols aren’t robust enough to keep a bunch of calendar girls and their crew and assorted groupies out,” Seelig said. “It flies in the face of any progress we have made in the military and sends out this archaic message to girls and women that their true value lies in their body parts.”
