Army General Accused of Sex Crimes

Brig. Gen. Jeffery A. Sinclair has made headlines in the news for being the highest ranking U.S. Army Official to be charged with sexual assault. Sinclair, 51, has recently been accused of 8 counts of sexual misconduct including forcible sodomy, indecent acts, and violating orders and conduct unbecoming of an officer. Sinclair has pled not guilty to these accusations, but has admitted to engaging in a 3 year long extramarital affair with a junior officer. That admission alone will assuredly end his 28 year long military career, for that is a violation of the military code of conduct.

Sinclair is also alleged to have been involved in sexual misconduct with other female subordinate officers, and they declare that they are willing to testify in court that he implored them to provide nude photos of themselves.

 This event is only one of the recently publicized sexual misconduct cases that is embarrassing the Pentagon.

According to military data, 1 out of 8 sexual assaults are reported by victims. This is a shocking statistic. Pentagon officials have disclosed that sexual assaults have increased by 35% from 2010-2012, with an annual total of about 26,000 sexual assaults per year. The Department of Veteran affairs also determined that 85,000 U.S. veterans received treatment for sexual abuse in 2012.

Congress is now pushing to remove the prosecutions of sex crimes from the military chain of command, demonstrating that they do not have complete confidence in the way the military handles sex crimes. Military officials hope that in 2014, there will be less sexual assaults and more reports of these crimes. With an increase in reports, victims can have a voice and those who harmed them can be punished.

The branches of the military defend America against those who try to harm us. However, those service members need the same assurance that they will be defended against those who harm them as well.