SAN ANTONIO » The Air Force has chosen a woman to lead its basic training unit where dozens of female recruits have alleged they were sexually assaulted or harassed by male instructors in the past year.

The Air Force announced today that Col. Deborah Liddick will take command of the 737th Training Group at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio next week. Her appointment comes amid a sex scandal that has rocked one of the nation’s busiest military training centers and caught the attention of Congress.

Six male instructors have been charged with crimes ranging from rape to adultery.

Liddick is already stationed in San Antonio, where she serves as chief of the maintenance division at the former Randolph Air Force Base. She is scheduled to take command Friday.