Chiefs of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard face members of the Senate Arms Services Committee for a hearing on the sexual epidemic in the American military on June 4, 2013.
US Senators have chided the nationâ„¢s military leaders about the persisting epidemic of sexual assaults within the American armed forces, expressing intolerance for continuation of sex-crimes among the military ranks despite repeated pledges of cracking down on it.
As chiefs of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard sat before the Senate Arms Services Committee for a Tuesday hearing on the growing cases of sexual abuse incidents within American military forces, Senators from both parties, including seven female members of the committee, made it clear that they are Å“fed up with years of sex-crime scandals” despite repeated pledges of Å“zero tolerance” for sexual abuse announced by military leaders.
Drawing a Å“wide arc” from the Navyâ„¢s 1991 Tailhook incident, in which US aviators assaulted 90 people during a wild convention, to the more recent embarrassing cases such as last monthâ„¢s detention of the Air Forceâ„¢s top sexual-assault prevention officer on charges of sexual battery, the lawmakers pressed all the top commanders lined up before them to seriously crack down on the pandemic, The Washington Post reports Wednesday.
Å“Whatâ„¢s different this time? Whatâ„¢s different this time, if we have a history of this repeating itself and nothing ever being done?” demanded Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. Å“Itâ„¢s almost intolerable that we can continue on this current path.”
Å“You have lost the trust of the men and women who rely on you that you will actually bring justice in these cases,” said New Yorkâ„¢s Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who is the lead sponsor of a bill that would strip military commanders of their legal authority over serious crimes.
The US military commanders, however, expressed serious concerns about stripping commanders of their power to oversee major criminal cases involving members of the armed forces, arguing that the move would Å“undermine the foundation of military culture,” according to the report.
Å“Without equivocation, I believe maintaining the central role of the commander in our military justice system is absolutely critical,” Armyâ„¢s Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is quoted as saying. Å“Removing commanders… will not work. It will hamper the delivery of justice to the people we most want to help.”
Å“With all due respect, General Odierno, we can prosecute our way out of .‰.‰. the problem of sexual predators, who are not committing crimes of lust,” said Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. Å“My years of experience in this area tell me they are committing crimes of domination and violence. This isnâ„¢t about sex. This is about assaultive domination and violence.”
The development comes following a report released by the Pentagon last month, estimating that the number of military personnel victimized by sexual assault and related crimes had climbed by a whopping 35 percent over the past two years.
The US Defense Department survey estimated that 26,000 troops experienced Å“unwanted sexual contact” last year. Yet only a fraction of that number — 3,374 — filed sexual-assault reports with military police or prosecutors.
American military officials further admitted that most victims of sexual crimes in the armed forces are reluctant to press charges because they fear retaliation or ostracism from their units.
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This article originally appeared on: Press TV