Congressional investigators have launched a review of sexual misconduct in the U.S. Army’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program after reports that dozens of teenage girls were abused at the hands of instructors.
In a letter sent Monday to military leaders, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, lawmakers said how many reports of misconduct they had received, how they were investigated, and how the military was working with the school’s JROTC. It said it wanted information about how often it inspected the program.
They said instructors from the JROTC program, which provides leadership, shooting and civic responsibility training at approximately 3,500 high schools nationwide, have served as trusted representatives of the military in their communities.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Rep. Stephen Lynch, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, said, “All incidents of sexual abuse or harassment by JROTC instructors are It is a betrayal of that trust.” .
The New York Times reported last month that the JROTC program has repeatedly become a place where veterans who retired as officers and non-commissioned officers prey on teenage students. The Times reports that in the past five years, at least 33 of his JROTC instructors have been criminally charged with sexual misconduct involving students, and many others have been accused of misconduct but not charged. Identified the instructor.
Many of the victims said they turned to the JROTC in high school for security and avenues for military service, only to find that instructors used their position to take advantage of students.
Founded over a century ago, JROTC has expanded to enroll hundreds of thousands of students each year. Cadets are provided instruction in military ranks and procedures, as well as more general topics such as public speaking and financial planning.
JROTC leaders pointed to research showing that the program had a positive effect on enrollment and graduation rates, and many cadets said the program provided important lessons and experiences during their formative years. I admire you.
However, The Times found that the instructors were poorly supervised. They were accredited by individual branches of the military to undertake school work, but military supervisors seldom investigated problems or monitored the behavior of instructors, leaving it to the schools. The program often takes place around the school campus, with after-school and off-campus extracurricular activities that are difficult for school administrators to monitor.
In some cases The Times identified, instructors facing criminal charges of misconduct were already subject to previous complaints.
In addition to requests for data and information, legislators asked the Department of Defense to provide briefings to committee staff by the end of this month.
“Although all JROTC instructors must complete a Department of Defense background check and be certified by state or local education authorities, the Department of Defense and Military Services monitor the behavior of JROTC instructors to ensure their safety and health. We are concerned about the lack of an effective means to do … being a cadet,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without adequate monitoring mechanisms, inappropriate behavior can go undetected.”
Military chapters are struggling to meet their recruitment goals, and Pentagon leaders see value in high school programs as a pipeline to enlistment. One high school student found they were more than twice as likely to enlist upon graduation.
As the military works to attract qualified recruits, the military “needs to redouble its efforts to promote the safety, well-being, academic and personal growth of our nation’s next generation of leaders.” ‘ said lawmakers.