Lawmakers outraged as allegations against soldier said to include sexual assault, forced prostitution

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The allegations against the latest military official accused of sexual assault include claims that he may have arranged for a woman to engage in prostitution, sources say. 

The charges have sparked outrage on Capitol Hill, as it emerged the accused soldier, whose name has not been made public, was assigned as a coordinator of a battalion-level sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood. He has been suspended from all duties but has not been charged with any crime. 

It is the second time in the last month that a military official who led a sexual assault prevention unit was accused of sexual assault. 

The nature of the accusations is still unclear. A source on Capitol Hill told Fox News the investigation includes allegations of forcing one woman into prostitution and sexually assaulting two others. 

A defense official told The Associated Press the allegations include a claim that the soldier may have arranged for one of the women to have sex for money. This official said it's not yet clear whether the woman was forced into that arrangement. 

George Little, spokesman for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said Hagel has informed President Obama about the accusations against the Army sergeant first class, and Obama made clear he wants the behavior stopped. 

Little told reporters that Hagel's staff is working on a written directive that will spell out steps aimed at resolving a problem that has outraged lawmakers. 

"The president has made very clear his expectations on this issue," Little said. 

Lawmakers are calling for changes in the wake of the allegations. 

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., on Wednesday called for Hagel to create a tougher review process for individuals applying for sexual assault prevention unit positions. 

"This crisis has reached a breaking point that requires more than the traditional process for filling military jobs," they wrote in a letter Wednesday. 

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement: "This latest incident clearly demonstrates that the military's efforts to prevent sexual assault are failing miserably." 

The case, along with another one involving an Air Force officer, highlights a problem that is drawing increased scrutiny in Congress and expressions of frustration from Hagel. 

"This is sickening. Twice now, in a matter of as many weeks, we've seen the very people charged with protecting victims of sexual assault being charged as perpetrators," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said. 

Hagel said he was directing all the services to retrain, re-credential and rescreen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters, Little said after Tuesday's announcement that the Army sergeant was accused of pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates. 

The soldier was being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Command. No charges had been filed, but officials say they expect them fairly soon. 

Little said Hagel was angry and disappointed at "these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply." He said Hagel had met with Army Secretary John McHugh and ordered him to "fully investigate this matter rapidly, to discover the extent of these allegations and to ensure that all of those who might be involved are dealt with appropriately." 

The Fort Hood soldier had been assigned as an equal opportunity adviser and coordinator of a sexual harassment-assault prevention program at the Army's 3rd Corps headquarters when the allegation arose, the Army said. 

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said in a statement he was "outraged and disgusted by the reports out of Fort Hood." 

Just last week an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was himself arrested on charges of groping a woman in a Northern Virginia parking lot. 

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said his panel was considering a number of measures to counter the problem, including changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and will act on them next month. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she intends to present new legislation on Thursday to overhaul the military justice system by removing chain-of-command influence from prosecution of sex abuse crimes. 

The Pentagon is struggling with what it calls a growing number of sexual assaults across the military. In a report last week, the Defense Department estimated that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, based on survey results. 

Of those, fewer than 3,400 reported the incidents, and nearly 800 of those simply sought help and declined to file formal complaints against their alleged attackers. 

There also is an ongoing investigation into more than 30 Air Force instructors for assaults on trainees at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, as well as the recent arrest of the Air Force's head of sexual assault prevention on charges of groping a woman. 

An Arlington County, Va., police report said Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski was drunk and grabbed a woman's breast and buttocks in a parking lot earlier this month. The woman fought him off and called police, the report said. A judge has set a July 18 trial date for Krusinski. 

Such cases and two recent decisions by officers to overturn military juries' guilty verdicts in sexual assault cases has precipitated a storm of criticism on Capitol Hill. 

McCaskill is holding up the nomination of Air Force Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, tapped to serve as vice commander of the U.S. Space Command, until McCaskill gets more information about Helms' decision to overturn a jury conviction in a sexual assault case. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Could you design the next Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle?

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Three Americans from three different states teamed together to win one million dollars this week in the competition to design the first stage of a next-gen assault vehicle for the Marines.

In October of last year, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sent out a bat signal inviting all American innovators to design the new heavy amphibious infantry fighting vehicle- the Fast, Adaptable, Next-Generation Ground Vehicle (FANG).

Each of the three FANG challenges invites competitors from across the country to design increasingly complex vehicle subsystems and there is no fee to participate.

FANG’s requirements reflect those of the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program and the end game is achieving a finished heavy amphibious infantry fighting vehicle that meets the needs of the Marines.

Future Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle

Since 1971 the Marines use the AAV-7A1 series amphibious assault vehicle to move from ship to shore.  There are concerns over the years it has become increasingly hard to maintain and operate -- not to mention its two-mile ship to shore range is less than ideal for amphibious forces.

The next-gen vehicle must be able to self-deploy and deliver 17 Marines from a launch distance of at least 12 miles.

FANG needs to be at least 8 knots fast in one-foot wave height seas and handle three foot wave conditions.

On land, the new vehicle will operate in all types of terrain with a cross-country range and speed the same or better than an M-1A1 Tank.

The new ACV should have at least one stabilized machine gun to engage enemy infantry and light vehicles and sufficient protection against direct and indirect fire, mines and improvised explosive devices.

And the Winner is…

Summary

For more information or to register for DARPA’s FANG Challenges, go to vehicleforge.org.

In this first FANG challenge, teams competed to design the Mobility and Drivetrain Subsystem Design for a one million dollar cash prize and the chance to have their design built in the iFAB Foundry.

Since the kick off on January 14, 2013, more than 1,000 participated within more than 200 teams.

Competitors use DARPA’s META design tools and its online collaboration platform Vanderbilt University’s VehicleFORGE to manage and submit their designs.

The competition will cover the whole manufacturing process cycle from requirements representation through to final physical build of a full-scale prototype.

“Ground Systems,” a three person team from Ohio, Texas and California, received the highest score for system performance and manufacturability.  

Although they were based in entirely different states, they were still able to successfully collaborate and win by using the tools the DARPA provided.

One top team met through their Vehicle FORGE and another was a mere one person team. DARPA noted that in the traditional design process these sorts of teams would not have had the chance to provide their ideas -- ones that were the top designs.

The DARPA iFAB program team will build the winning FANG design.

Penn State University’s Instant Foundry Adaptive through Bits, known as iFAB, will test and validate the design.

Making Defense Tech 5 x Faster

In addition to designing a better vehicle for the Marines, DARPA has some other ambitions.

DARPA hopes to demonstrate that by harnessing the talents of American innovators  and equipping them with META and Vehicle FORGE -- they will accelerate the time it takes to build a critical vehicle for defense by at least a factor of five -- if not ten times faster.

Traditional methods to develop urgently needed heavy military vehicles have often fallen short in providing the needed capability in a timely fashion.

This FANG initiative was launched in 2010 as part of the advanced manufacturing program that seeks to develop complex military systems at least five times faster than the current standard.

While hopefully achieving a superior amphibious assault vehicle, through the FANG competition DARPA will also be testing the specially developed META design tools, model libraries and the VehicleFORGE platform.

Innovators jump in the ring

The next FANG Challenge invites competitors to design a chassis and structural subsystems for survivability for a one million dollar prize.

In 2014, the final FANG Challenge means it is full vehicle design time -- and a chance to win two million dollars.

In addition to receiving a cash prize, the winning team in the third and final challenge could have its vehicle tested by the Marine Corps alongside ACV prototypes in operational testing.

Allison Barrie

View the original article here

Could you design the next Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle?

• 

Three Americans from three different states teamed together to win one million dollars this week in the competition to design the first stage of a next-gen assault vehicle for the Marines.

In October of last year, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sent out a bat signal inviting all American innovators to design the new heavy amphibious infantry fighting vehicle- the Fast, Adaptable, Next-Generation Ground Vehicle (FANG).

Each of the three FANG challenges invites competitors from across the country to design increasingly complex vehicle subsystems and there is no fee to participate.

FANG’s requirements reflect those of the Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program and the end game is achieving a finished heavy amphibious infantry fighting vehicle that meets the needs of the Marines.

Future Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle

Since 1971 the Marines use the AAV-7A1 series amphibious assault vehicle to move from ship to shore.  There are concerns over the years it has become increasingly hard to maintain and operate -- not to mention its two-mile ship to shore range is less than ideal for amphibious forces.

The next-gen vehicle must be able to self-deploy and deliver 17 Marines from a launch distance of at least 12 miles.

FANG needs to be at least 8 knots fast in one-foot wave height seas and handle three foot wave conditions.

On land, the new vehicle will operate in all types of terrain with a cross-country range and speed the same or better than an M-1A1 Tank.

The new ACV should have at least one stabilized machine gun to engage enemy infantry and light vehicles and sufficient protection against direct and indirect fire, mines and improvised explosive devices.

And the Winner is…

Summary

For more information or to register for DARPA’s FANG Challenges, go to vehicleforge.org.

In this first FANG challenge, teams competed to design the Mobility and Drivetrain Subsystem Design for a one million dollar cash prize and the chance to have their design built in the iFAB Foundry.

Since the kick off on January 14, 2013, more than 1,000 participated within more than 200 teams.

Competitors use DARPA’s META design tools and its online collaboration platform Vanderbilt University’s VehicleFORGE to manage and submit their designs.

The competition will cover the whole manufacturing process cycle from requirements representation through to final physical build of a full-scale prototype.

“Ground Systems,” a three person team from Ohio, Texas and California, received the highest score for system performance and manufacturability.  

Although they were based in entirely different states, they were still able to successfully collaborate and win by using the tools the DARPA provided.

One top team met through their Vehicle FORGE and another was a mere one person team. DARPA noted that in the traditional design process these sorts of teams would not have had the chance to provide their ideas -- ones that were the top designs.

The DARPA iFAB program team will build the winning FANG design.

Penn State University’s Instant Foundry Adaptive through Bits, known as iFAB, will test and validate the design.

Making Defense Tech 5 x Faster

In addition to designing a better vehicle for the Marines, DARPA has some other ambitions.

DARPA hopes to demonstrate that by harnessing the talents of American innovators  and equipping them with META and Vehicle FORGE -- they will accelerate the time it takes to build a critical vehicle for defense by at least a factor of five -- if not ten times faster.

Traditional methods to develop urgently needed heavy military vehicles have often fallen short in providing the needed capability in a timely fashion.

This FANG initiative was launched in 2010 as part of the advanced manufacturing program that seeks to develop complex military systems at least five times faster than the current standard.

While hopefully achieving a superior amphibious assault vehicle, through the FANG competition DARPA will also be testing the specially developed META design tools, model libraries and the VehicleFORGE platform.

Innovators jump in the ring

The next FANG Challenge invites competitors to design a chassis and structural subsystems for survivability for a one million dollar prize.

In 2014, the final FANG Challenge means it is full vehicle design time -- and a chance to win two million dollars.

In addition to receiving a cash prize, the winning team in the third and final challenge could have its vehicle tested by the Marine Corps alongside ACV prototypes in operational testing.

Allison Barrie

View the original article here

Graham digs in to ban mentally ill from guns, as Dems focus on assault weapons

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  FILE: January 30, 2013: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., points at a chart showing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and other weapons, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.REUTERS

As Senate Democrats push ahead with a proposed ban on assault weapons and other gun-control legislation, Republicans are still trying to draw attention to what they see as the bigger issue -- keeping the mentally ill from owning firearms.

The proposal was introduced this month by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who on Thursday again expressed his interest in getting the measure passed.

“I believe that the best way to interrupt the shooter is to have a mental health system that actually records and enters into the database people who should not be able to buy a gun,” Graham said.

He made his remark while voting against a bill passed by the committee to ban assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines.

Graham’s proposal would require that people found mentally incompetent be added to the National Instant Criminal Background System – the database for all new gun sales.

Those added to the list would have to be found incompetent by a federal court or other official body. The proposal is based on a 2005 South Carolina case in which a women pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for threatening to kill President George W. Bush. The woman, Alice Bolan, was later able to legally buy a gun and attempted to shoot somebody earlier this year.

 “The … case is Exhibit A of a broken background check system,” Graham said. “As astonishing as it sounds, that actually happened.”

Graham’s proposal was introduced earlier this month and has bipartisan support.  

"I’m a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights,” Arkansas Democrat Rep. Mark Pryor said in support of the bill. “That said, it’s evident that our background check system needs some improvements.”

Under the proposal, a person would be added to the database for such reasons as being an imminent danger to themselves or others, found guilty but mentally ill in a criminal case, found guilty by reason of insanity, found incompetent to stand trial, committed to a psychiatric hospital or required to have psychiatric outpatient treatment.

Meanwhile, several states are addressing the issue.

New York passed legislation that requires therapists report cases of potentially dangerous behavior to the state. And the Maryland and Florida legislatures are considering similar legislation.

The Florida proposal attempts to close a loophole that allows the mentally ill to voluntarily commit themselves to treatment to avoid getting added to a database. The bill also would require the mandatory reporting of mental illness.

The U.S. Senate committee has now voted in favor of four gun-control measures: the assault weapons ban, more school safety aid, expanding federal background checks on potential gun buyers and helping authorities prosecute illegal gun traffickers.

However, the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines faces tough odds in passing the full Senate. The measure would need 60 votes, which would require support from Republicans and some Democrats seeking re-election in pro-gun districts.

View the original article here