{"id":40305,"date":"2019-05-02T16:41:46","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T16:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/02\/gillibrand-grills-next-army-chief-on-rise-of-sexual-assaults-decrease-in-prosecutions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:18:35","slug":"gillibrand-grills-next-army-chief-on-rise-of-sexual-assaults-decrease-in-prosecutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2019\/05\/02\/gillibrand-grills-next-army-chief-on-rise-of-sexual-assaults-decrease-in-prosecutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Gillibrand grills next Army chief on rise of sexual assaults, decrease in prosecutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The rates of sexual assaults in the military are going up, according to a report presented in a Senate<\/a> Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, while rates of prosecution and conviction are going down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers had gathered to consider the nomination of Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville<\/a> as the next Army chief of staff. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand<\/a>, D-N.Y., came armed with numbers for her turn to ask a question, minutes after receiving the Defense Department\u2019s 2018 sexual assault report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re going in the wrong direction,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is something that you must take responsibility for. Because it\u2019s an issue of climate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General James McConville, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army presents The Silver Star to Sgt. Armando Yanez during a ceremony at the Army Aviation Association of America Summit 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee April 16, 2019. Yanez, who is assigned to Company C, 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), earned The Silver Star for heroic actions in support of U.S. Army forces in Afghanistan July 12, 2018. The AAAA summit is an event during which the entire Army Aviation community gathers to focus solely on Army Aviation. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Steven Lopez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Experts have drawn strong conclusions between the health of a command climate and the incidence of sexual harassment, for example, with the likelihood that a sexual assault will occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers say one in five women serving in an unhealthy command climate will be assaulted, Gillibrand said, and that 24 percent of women serving in the Army report toxicity in their chains of command. For men, it\u2019s 6 percent. And the survivors of assault are mostly concentrated at E-3 level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo from your perspective, things might be perfect,” she said. \u201cIt is lower down in the chain of command.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse, she added, anecdotal feedback shows that survivors lack faith that their chains of command will competently investigate their allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What angers me the most, General, is that for the last 25 years, every secretary of defense has told this body, told the American public, \u2018We have zero tolerance for sexual assault,’ ” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials often assert that the increase in sexual assault reporting is a good sign, because it means more survivors are feeling confident to come forward. Recent statistics on the number of cases where charges are filed, or where a conviction is secured, suggest that the spike in reports is not resulting in a spike in consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am tired of the statement I get over and over from the chain of command: \u2018We got this, Ma\u2019am. We got this,\u2019 ” Gillibrand said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have it. You\u2019re failing us. The trajectories of every measurable are going in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillibrand finished her statement by asking McConville whether she has his commitment to tackle the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Senator,\u201d he responded, before the hearing moved on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than the exchange with Gillbrand, senators heaped praise on McConville, both for his service record and for his family \u2015 his wife, a former Army captain, and his three currently serving children, as well as his staff sergeant son-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\t