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The US Air Force has launched an inquiry into one of the worst sex scandals in American history. According to the investigation, more than 48 female cadets who underwent training at the Lackland Air Force Base in a period from October 2010 to June 2011 became victims of sexual harassment and violence on the part of the instructors.
Military investigators have established that at least 13 women fell victim to sexual violence on the part of their instructors. However, the exact number of women who were subjected to sexual harassment is yet to be established. A total of 23 instructors have been charged with sexual misconduct. The US military leadership has condemned these acts of harassment on the part of the personnel of the Lackland Air Force Base, where about 35,000 cadets receive military training every year.
The victims lawyers and human rights activists say numerous cases of harassment couldnt have gone unnoticed by the bases leadership. Even so, the inquiry was initiated only after human rights campaigners and lawmakers stepped in.
The scandal surrounding Lackland coincided with yet another high-profile case that could add more blemish to the already stained reputation of the US army. Hearings got under way at the Fort Bragg Base last week in connection with the case of Brigadier-General Jeffrey Sinclair, who is accused of forcing his female subordinates into sexual relations. Before his arrest, Sinclair, who has served in a number of hot spots, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, occupied a top military post in Afghanistan. Besides sex-related charges, he is accused of several other counts, including insubordination and illegal possession of alcohol and pornographic material. In addition, a court-martial has found out that he tried to force one of his victims into withdrawing her testimony and threatened to kill her and her relatives if she didnt.
Sinclairs case is unfolding amid an equally unpleasant scandal involving an affair between former CIA chief David Petraeus and military journalist Paula Broadwell, whose computer files contained secret documents. High-profile scandals have come down on the Pentagon and the CIA in abundance lately. The trial of sergeant Robert Bales, who is accused of killing 16 villagers in a drunken rampage in Afghanistan, is just one of them.
All these cases speak of the inability of the US military leadership to attend to their immediate duties. Unprofessionalism on the part of the military command manifested itself in full in the case of Robert Bales, who suffered from a post-traumatic mental disorder but was dispatched to a conflict zone owing to the gross dereliction of duty on the part of the doctors. And the army leadership turned a blind eye on the wrongful conduct of the Lackland Air Force Base instructor.
Given the currently explosive situation in the Middle East, the US army ought to restore its stained reputation. However, considering the frequency with which a new scandal comes to the international spotlight, it seems that the Pentagon is doing its utmost to destroy its reputation.
Military investigators have established that at least 13 women fell victim to sexual violence on the part of their instructors. However, the exact number of women who were subjected to sexual harassment is yet to be established. A total of 23 instructors have been charged with sexual misconduct. The US military leadership has condemned these acts of harassment on the part of the personnel of the Lackland Air Force Base, where about 35,000 cadets receive military training every year.
The victims lawyers and human rights activists say numerous cases of harassment couldnt have gone unnoticed by the bases leadership. Even so, the inquiry was initiated only after human rights campaigners and lawmakers stepped in.
The scandal surrounding Lackland coincided with yet another high-profile case that could add more blemish to the already stained reputation of the US army. Hearings got under way at the Fort Bragg Base last week in connection with the case of Brigadier-General Jeffrey Sinclair, who is accused of forcing his female subordinates into sexual relations. Before his arrest, Sinclair, who has served in a number of hot spots, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia, occupied a top military post in Afghanistan. Besides sex-related charges, he is accused of several other counts, including insubordination and illegal possession of alcohol and pornographic material. In addition, a court-martial has found out that he tried to force one of his victims into withdrawing her testimony and threatened to kill her and her relatives if she didnt.
Sinclairs case is unfolding amid an equally unpleasant scandal involving an affair between former CIA chief David Petraeus and military journalist Paula Broadwell, whose computer files contained secret documents. High-profile scandals have come down on the Pentagon and the CIA in abundance lately. The trial of sergeant Robert Bales, who is accused of killing 16 villagers in a drunken rampage in Afghanistan, is just one of them.
All these cases speak of the inability of the US military leadership to attend to their immediate duties. Unprofessionalism on the part of the military command manifested itself in full in the case of Robert Bales, who suffered from a post-traumatic mental disorder but was dispatched to a conflict zone owing to the gross dereliction of duty on the part of the doctors. And the army leadership turned a blind eye on the wrongful conduct of the Lackland Air Force Base instructor.
Given the currently explosive situation in the Middle East, the US army ought to restore its stained reputation. However, considering the frequency with which a new scandal comes to the international spotlight, it seems that the Pentagon is doing its utmost to destroy its reputation.
