SAN FRANCISCO: The United States military is being hit by a number of sex scandals that have once again revealed the inner workings of what many women's rights activists have called a male dominated institution where sex and violence are the status quo. "The US military, when I was there, was not about defense or protection of others, it was about the so-called honor of developing a relationship with your fellow soldiers," Allan, a 29-year-old former Army enlistee. He told Bikyanews.com that the recent developments concerning sexual abuse "are not new." For him, now living in the Bay Area and starting a family, he believes there are "too many issues that go on in the military that are just impossible to figure out. The idea that a commanding officer can abuse is part of the game and we rarely say anything, especially the female soldiers." The outrage in Allan's voice stems from the fact the officer in charge of a program to curb sexual assault in the US Air Force was arrested over the weekend for allegedly grabbing a woman by the breasts and buttocks in a parking lot not far from the Pentagon, officials said on Monday. "We must stand against violence against women, and not allow these crimes to go unpunished," he added. Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was arrested on Sunday and charged with sexual battery after the alleged incident in the Crystal City area of suburbanArlington, Virginia, officials said. Krusinski, the head of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was removed from his job pending an investigation on Monday. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel later spoke to Air Force Secretary Michael Donleyabout the incident, expressing "outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations" and emphasizing "that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively,"Pentagon spokesman George Little said. "Sexual assault has no place in the United States military," Little said. "The American people, including our service members, should expect a culture of absolutely no tolerance for this deplorable behavior." For women, it is another sign that the military and its commanding officers do not take them seriously. "I find this very disturbing. This person was supposed to be in charge of fighting against sexual harassment and yet is the one going out there and doing it," said Tara Miller, a recent university graduate from San Francisco State who told Bikyanews.com she is "proud not to have joined the Army when I finished school." For women like Miller and many more, the rising amount of sexual violence in the US and in the military are scary and they hope for a dramatic change in the very near future. "It has to happen or we will continue to struggle as a nation," Miller added. BN
