{"id":26792,"date":"2020-01-03T19:26:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T19:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/03\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:37:23","slug":"army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/01\/03\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Army colonel files federal sexual assault lawsuit against vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Army colonel has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/09\/26\/hyten-confirmed-as-new-joint-chiefs-vice-chairman-despite-sexual-assault-accusations\/\" target=_blank>vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff<\/a> sexually assaulted her multiple times while at U.S. Strategic Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Col. Kathryn A. Spletstoser is seeking more than $5 million in damages in a federal civil jury trial, according to court documents filed in late November in California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spletstoser\u2019s allegations became a focal point of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/08\/26\/the-case-against-gen-john-hyten\/\" target=_blank>Air Force Gen. John Hyten<\/a>\u2019s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in July before he was confirmed as vice chairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his July hearing, Hyten strenuously denied Spletstoser\u2019s allegations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am intensely aware of the allegations made against me concerning one of the most serious problems we have in the military, sexual assault. It has been a painful time for me and my family, but I want to state to you and to the American people in the strongest possible terms that these allegations are false,\u201d Hyten said testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> A previous investigation concluded in June and released in August found that the Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not corroborate her allegations of sexual assault and an unprofessional relationship between Spletstoser and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/08\/26\/the-case-against-gen-john-hyten\/\" target=_blank>Hyten<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson testified on Hyten\u2019s behalf during the hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her testimony she emphasized the thoroughness of the investigation. Allegations emerged while she was still serving as secretary and directed the investigation of the claims. She pointed to the 1,400 page investigation that included 53 investigators that interviewed 63 people, reviewing more than 196,000 emails, 4,000 pages of documents and 152 travel records. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter all of this, I believe the Senate will come to the same conclusion I did: General Hyten was falsely accused and this matter should be set aside as you consider his nomination,\u201d she testified.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/08\/16\/osi-found-no-proof-of-unprofessional-relationship-in-hyten-sexual-assault-investigation-polygraph-was-inconclusive\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_19211554430018.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">OSI found no proof of \u2018unprofessional relationship\u2019 in Hyten sexual assault investigation; polygraph was inconclusive<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Hyten is nominated to be vice chairman of the joint chiefs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, Hyten was head of STRATCOM and awaiting a Senate confirmation vote for the vice chairman position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spletstoser alleged that between February 2017 and February 2018 Hyten touched her against her wishes multiple times, including non-consensual kissing and an instance in which he ejaculated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokeswoman for Hyten told Military Times Friday that previous allegations had been subjected to a \u201ccomprehensive investigation and unsubstantiated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are aware of the lawsuit that was filed in California federal court. As is our practice in all on-going litigation, we are not going to comment on the details,&#8221; Air Force Maj. Trisha Guillebeau wrote in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll previous allegations provided to the Department of Defense were subject to comprehensive investigation and unsubstantiated. The Senate conducted its own exhaustive, comprehensive review of the matter during Gen Hyten\u2019s confirmation process to be Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Hyten\u2019s confirmation by the Senate as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff validates the trust that has been placed in him by our nation, our Department\u2019s leadership and Congress,\u201d Guillebeau wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the SASC hearing, Sen. Martha McSally, R-AZ, an Air Force veteran who publicly disclosed her own experience with sexual assault, also said that the \u201cfull truth was revealed in this process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe truth is that General Hyten is innocent of these charges,\u201d McSally said. \u201cI pray the accuser gets the help she needs and finds the peace she is searching for, but it cannot be by destroying General Hyten with these false allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the lawsuit, Spletstoser detailed many of the alleged acts, which often occurred when he asked her to meet him in his hotel room or to stay after work meetings. Most episodes included multiple, repeated touching, fondling, kissing and at least one encounter in which he ejaculated while touching her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite her consistent rejections, the general continued the harassing behavior on separate occasions over the course of months, she alleged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19211554820344.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Former aide Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser sits in the audience as Gen. John Hyten appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 30, 2019, for his confirmation hearing to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.\" class=\"wp-image-35078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19211554820344.jpg.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19211554820344.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19211554820344.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19211554820344.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former aide Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser sits in the audience as Gen. John Hyten appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 30, 2019, for his confirmation hearing to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Andrew Harnik\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The colonel wrote detailed commentary about both the report and the alleged conduct, which was published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/08\/26\/the-case-against-gen-john-hyten\/?utm_expid=.qEJHVEenQdy5bcnNDaGFdQ.0&#038;utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\" target=_blank>Air Force Times<\/a> in late August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her commentary, Spletstoser said that Hyten not only sexually assaulted her but also retaliated against her professionally after she rebuffed his advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUntil I was sexually assaulted by Gen. Hyten, he ranked me as the number one of 71 colonels who worked for him in the command. Only after I rejected his sexual advances did he begin efforts to discredit me and embrace the narrative that I was a \u2018toxic leader.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spletstoser also questioned the general\u2019s conduct during the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1944\" height=\"1432\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg 1944w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg?resize=300,221 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg?resize=768,566 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,754 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SpletstoserCropped.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1131 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1944px) 100vw, 1944px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command (left) and Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser (center) leave the Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado on Nov. 14, 2017. Spletstoser has publicly accused Hyten of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room just a few weeks after this photo was taken. (Sgt. Zach Sheely\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe results show that he lied under oath and to investigators. During a wiretapped phone call, Gen. Hyten also conveyed chilling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2019\/12\/19\/nearly-60-percent-of-women-experience-stalking-in-the-ranks-study-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\">stalking <\/a>behavior and made future threats, resulting in a Military Protective Order that prevented him from making contact with me. This is still in effect today,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before much of the allegations went public, the Department of Defense Inspector General released the findings of another report in which Hyten had been accused of misusing military aircraft for personal reasons, allowing his spouse to travel on military aircraft for inappropriate reasons, misusing his personal service detail and his government cell phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IG report did not substantiate those allegations in the investigation that was initiated in September 2018 and released in March 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Col. Kathryn Spletstoser\u2019s allegations became a focal point of Air Force Gen. John Hyten\u2019s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in July before he was confirmed as vice chairman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,88,89,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3393],"class_list":["post-26792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"6GNMSKO7PJEUBBCW2B6PI423WI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2020\/01\/03\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Army colonel files federal sexual assault lawsuit against vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Col. Kathryn Spletstoser\u2019s allegations became a focal point of Air Force Gen. John Hyten\u2019s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in July before he was confirmed as vice chairman.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/01\/03\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Army colonel files federal sexual assault lawsuit against vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Col. Kathryn Spletstoser\u2019s allegations became a focal point of Air Force Gen. John Hyten\u2019s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in July before he was confirmed as vice chairman.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/01\/03\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-03T19:26:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T02:37:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Army colonel files federal sexual assault lawsuit against vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-03T19:26:07+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T02:37:23+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 970,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_19211554430018.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Air Force\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/03\\\/army-colonel-files-federal-sexual-assault-lawsuit-against-vice-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army colonel files federal sexual assault lawsuit against vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - 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