With, at Chuck Hagel’s last count, about 10 different bills pending in Congress to change the military justice system or effect other reforms in an effort to combat sex abuse in the ranks, the secretary of Defense vowed today that the answer to the problem will come from within the Pentagon.
And to do this, he’s consulting with other militaries around the world for suggestions.
Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, along with senior enlisted and Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with President Obama yesterday for “a very important, productive meeting” on the crisis, Hagel said this afternoon at the Pentagon.
“It gave the president an opportunity to ask questions directly and get the sense of this huge problem, this serious problem in our military,” Hagel said. “…The president was very constructive. He was very clear. There wasn’t anyone in that room who was disappointed.”
The latest in a string of cases of military sexual abuse program managers to be accused of crimes, Lt. Col. Darin Haas at Fort Campbell, Ky., was relieved of his post after allegedly violating an order of protection and stalking his ex-wife.
“We all have committed to turn this around and we’re gonna fix the problem; this is going to take all of us,” Hagel said, stressing “the problem will be solved here in this institution and we will fix it.”
The new team he’s assembled to come up with intragency solutions, and perhaps ward off an onslaught of legislation, will hold its first meeting next month at the Pentagon.
“It’s not good enough to say we have a zero tolerance policy,” Hagel said.
In addition, every military recruiter will have to undergo special training after a string of sexual misconduct cases in their ranks.
“The risks inherent to military service must not include the risk of sexual assault,” Dempsey said, stressing that “the emphasis on prevention is especially important” and the Joint Chiefs have been brainstorming on ways to “change a culture that has become complacent.”
“Now’s the time for moral courage at every level; there can be no bystanders,” he added of battling “aggressive sexual behavior that rips at the bonds of trust that bind us together.”
Hagel addressed the question of those who say “well, why don’t you just fire some people — well, yeah, who you gonna fire?”
“Where we can find people who have actually perpetrated these crimes, yes,” he said.
Hagel stressed the importance of an independent review board to look objectively at the cases and arrive at suggestions for real-world fixes.
“We need to see what they come up with,” he said. “We’re talking with other militaries from around the world and see what they think.”
The Defense secretary didn’t say which countries he’s consulted. This week he met with counterparts from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey.
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