Chief of AF Sexual Assault Prevention Branch at Pentagon Arrested for Sexual Assault

[HerkFE]

Sorry fellas. Just as expected. SMDH. Ya'll have fun. I'll be down at the titty bar.

https://www.airforcet...ual-assault-now

ETA: "Doing research"

Edited May 16, 2013 by HerkFE

[HuggyU2]

Ya'll have fun.

It is spelled y'all .

Edited May 16, 2013 by Huggyu2

[HerkFE]

It is spelled y'all .

You are correct.....I'm working mids dude, half asleep

[Toro]

As usual, the Duffel Blog is on top of things (no STS)...

Well played.

[Alaska_ABM]

Trifecta complete.

https://bigstory.ap.org/article/head-fort-campbell-harassment-program-arrested

[drewpey]

Trifecta complete. https://bigstory.ap.o...rogram-arrested

Edited May 17, 2013 by drewpey

[Jaded]

Like with everything else, the military cares more about appearances than results.

[pawnman]

Like with everything else, the military cares more about appearances than results.

If you can't do something smart or effective, do something visible.

[Learjetter]

If you can't do something smart or effective, do something visible.

...and full of sound and fury...

[deaddebate]

Highlights from the Department of Defense News Briefing with Secretary Hagel and Gen. Dempsey from the Pentagon - 17 May 2013

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHUCK HAGEL:

And I just signed off on a directive here today on another part of this, and that is the recertification and the review and the retraining of everyone associated with the United States military who has any responsibility for any sexual abuse offices, sexual protection offices, in any way dealing with this program across the board. It will be standardized in all the services. And all our military recruiters, every military recruiter, regardless of the service, will undergo this. We've got timeframes on it. You will all be given, I think, copies of the directive here after the conference, so you'll see exactly what I said. But that was signed off on today. There will be more of these directives. There will be more action.

[...]

Now, when you look at the -- those numbers that are essentially spiking, and I -- and I suspect they're going to continue to rise on the reporting, as Vice President Biden reminded us yesterday, there is a glimmer of hope in that. There's no good news in this, but there's a glimmer of hope, because in many cases -- and we're going back in and trying to understand this better and asking a lot of questions -- is at least there some new confidence being built out there and developed that, when people come forward and report something, that they have some assurance that, first of all, the victim will be treated fairly and -- and that there will be something done about it.

[...]

Q: Well, can I follow on that? Because if you listen to the women in the military who are sexually assaulted, they say the best thing that you can do to change this is to take this out of the commanders' hands, put this in civilian courts. They are afraid to talk to their commanders, because they know the men who are assaulting them. Are you considering at all changing that? And where do you all stand on that move?

[...]

SEC. HAGEL: We're looking at everything. And we are listening to victims carefully, closely. And I addressed this in my -- in my first answer to -- to Bob's question about the rights of victims and what goes through their minds before they come forward. And are they afraid? Are they intimidated? Obviously, yes, yes, yes, on all those questions. So we're looking at everything. We're not taking anything off the table. And we want to understand all that's best. So that -- that's what I've said, that's where I come down.

[...]

But I also would say that -- going back to what I noted earlier about the congressionally mandated panel, I would hope that we -- we would have some time here, everyone would have some time, to listen to what the panel comes back with. This was a congressionally mandated panel and give them some time here to go in and really assess the problem. Why do we have the problem? How can we prevent the problem? What should we be doing better? It may well end up those recommendations are exactly what -- one or two are the same way that Congress have been -- have proposed in their bill. So we're looking at all of it and working with all of them.

GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY:

[...] at some level, this is actually a continuum of -- of a challenge we've had. You know, you were around in the mid-'90s when we had -- within a space of about 18 months in the mid-'90s we had Tailhook, Aberdeen, and a military academy scandal. And then I think, you know, we went to war and maybe some of that was masked. And you asked, do I think that there's an effect of 10 years of war? Yeah, instinctively, I do. And we've been looking at what that might be. And, you know, you might -- you might argue that we've become a little too forgiving because, you know, if a perpetrator shows up at a court martial with a rack of ribbons and has four deployments and a Purple Heart, you know, there is certainly the risk that we might -- we might be a little too forgiving of that particular crime.

[...] after 10 years of war, there is the potential that we should examine whether -- whether we've become a little bit too forgiving, not just of -- of -- of sexual harassment, sexual assault, but of other forms of misconduct, as well. So if you're -- what you're hearing me expressing is that -- is the commitment to try to gain a deeper understanding of what we're dealing with and -- and an instinct that suggests that 10 years of war might be a factor.

[mcbush]

A sergeant first class on the staff of the United States Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets without their consent, sometimes when they were undressed in the bathroom or the shower, according to Army officials.

https://www.nytimes.c...adets.html?_r=0

[BitteEinBit]

https://www.nytimes.c...adets.html?_r=0

I don't believe it happened...I want to see proof....

[HeloDude]

This just in...

It turns out this guy was actually saving this woman's life. They should award him the Airman's Medal or something.

[HU&W]

Hormones

[deaddebate]

Highlights of CSAF statement to Senate Armed Services Committee oversight hearing: "Pending Legislation Regarding Sexual Assaults in the Military"

[...] Following the wing commander conference' date= installation leadership conducted an Air Force-wide health and welfare inspection during the first two weeks of December 2012 designed to eliminate environments conducive to sexual harassment or unprofessional relationships, both possible leading indicators of sexual misconduct. Over 32,000 findings were reported by wing commanders at over 100 installations, with 85 percent of the findings comprised of “inappropriate” items like unsuitable calendars and magazines displayed in public areas. About two percent of the findings were pornographic in nature. All reported items were removed, but more importantly, Airmen and their commanders received a clear message of non-tolerance for sexually-charged environments. [...] We have identified and cared for a total of 63 trainees and technical school students involved at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Twelve are victims of sexual assault, 40 were allegedly involved in an unprofessional relationship with an instructor involving physical contact, and 11 were allegedly involved in an unprofessional relationship with an instructor involving no physical contact. The vast majority of the misconduct allegations—51 of 63 affected trainees and students—fall into the category of unlawful consensual “unprofessional relationships” as defined by AETC policy. [...] The 2010 and 2012 Workplace and Gender Relations surveys provide insight as to why victims of sexual assault often do not report the assault. Results from both years show that “they did not want anyone to know” (70%); “they felt uncomfortable making a report” (66%); and “they did not think their report would be kept confidential” (51%), are the top three barriers to reporting. [...] In over 99 percent of all Air Force cases where an SJA recommended a court-martial, the convening authority’s disposition decision followed the SJA advice. [...] In January, the Air Force also stood up the SVC program—separate and distinct from SVU—as a pilot program for DoD. SVCs are providing comprehensive and compassionate legal representation to victims, and in a few short months the program has already made a profound difference for our victims and our Air Force. To date, these attorneys are zealously representing over 300 clients in various stages of the investigatory and adjudicatory phases of their cases. Feedback from those who have received SVC services has been very positive and extremely encouraging. A report on the pilot program’s performance, due to OSD on November 1, 2013, will likely affirm these initial impressions. [...] Commanders having the authority to hold Airmen criminally accountable for misconduct in-garrison is crucial to building combat-ready, disciplined units. And in a deployed environment, where lives are in immediate and proximate danger, the importance of unit cohesion driven by a commander’s ability to maintain order, discipline, morale, and to hold Airmen accountable cannot be overstated. [...] Over the last five years, only one of 327 Air Force sexual assault findings resulted in a complete reversal of court martial findings by the convening authority with no follow-on disciplinary action—the Wilkerson case—which has served as the catalyst for recent calls for change. The current Article 60 legislative proposal from the Secretary of Defense that places limits on commanders’ authority to overturn any conviction represents a thoughtful and significant step in the right direction to limit commander authority appropriately.[...]

[17D_guy]

My eyes.. they're bleeding

[HeloDude]

Obama exerted 'unlawful command influence' in speaking on military sexual assault, judge says

...some of you folks on here mentioned this could be the case, well, you were right.

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

This is interesting. How long is this good for? Is a dishonorable discharge now off the table for sexual assault as long as Obama is in office? What about where he calls for them to be "stripped of rank"? Does that mean that reduction in grade is now off the table too? Seems like a foot firmly inserted in mouth moment for a guy who forgot he was Commander in Chief.

[HeloDude]

Seems like a foot firmly inserted in mouth moment for a guy who forgot he was Commander in Chief.

What are you talking about?? He personally gave the order for Seal Team Six to go get OBL...you must have not been watching the news a couple of years ago.

You do bring up some interesting points. I'm not a lawyer, but I have hear that guys use other judge rulings to further the same/similar argument in other cases. So now that the precedent has been set, I'm assuming that all defense attorneys will make this same argument?

[Fud]

This is interesting. How long is this good for? Is a dishonorable discharge now off the table for sexual assault as long as Obama is in office? What about where he calls for them to be "stripped of rank"? Does that mean that reduction in grade is now off the table too? Seems like a foot firmly inserted in mouth moment for a guy who forgot he was Commander in Chief.

Legal precedent lasts for quite a while, unless it is overturned in some way. However, an interesting note about juries in general is that they can ignore something that is against the law and declare someone 'not guilty' even if a law prevents the act. The CINC and any commander should be extremely careful in making comments to anyone, because there are so many technicalities for a defendent to get off the hook.

[Hacker]

there are so many technicalities for a defendent to get off the hook.

Also simply known as "the law"...which both sides in a case are obligated to follow.

[Fud]

Also simply known as "the law"...which both sides in a case are obligated to follow.

Hacker, agreed 100%, and I hope it didn't sound like a technicality is a bad thing, as it is not.

[Bobby]

https://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131112/NEWS06/311120020/Witnesses-Woman-punched-Air-Force-officer-repeatedly-after-he-groped-her

Oh this story gets even stranger (cliff notes version below):

"The alleged victim, a 23-year-old Treasury Department employee, testified that Krusinski firmly grabbed her buttocks and said, “Did you like it?”.............The employee, who is transsexual, said Krusinski grabbed her buttocks with both hands, acknowledged that they were both male and said, “It’s OK. You can come home with me.”

[Day Man]

[HeloDude]