Wilson Statement on Sexual Misconduct Allegations in the Military

Statement

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Chairman Joe Wilson (SC-02) issued the following statement regarding allegations of criminal behavior against a sexual assault prevention and response coordinator stationed at Fort Hood:

Wilson stated, "The recent report out of Fort Hood is inexcusable. Actions such as these will not be tolerated and have no place in our Armed Forces. Sexual abuse of any nature is a demoralizing challenge facing our brave men and women in uniform. The military must ensure the personnel they select to oversee sexual assault prevention efforts are of the highest moral character. Recently, some of these personnel decisions have been called into question by the despicable acts of a few. I encourage Secretary Chuck Hagel to review the screening processes for these positions so that only the highest quality service members are given the opportunity to serve in such leadership roles. Additionally, members of our military who condone these crimes both actively and passively should be held responsible, appropriately prosecuted, and promptly removed from our Armed Forces.

"For the past several years, I have worked diligently with House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon to make substantial progress on this issue. Based on recent events, it is obvious that more progress must be made to better protect our service members. I will continue to work closely with the House Armed Services Committee by exercising oversight so that we can get to the bottom of this disgusting incident. We must do everything in our power to prevent instances like these from occurring again."

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