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 The sailors were disqualified mainly for lack of training after
the Navy reviewed the records of about 20,000 personnel who were
involved in some way with preventing sexual assault or helping
victims, said Lieutenant Commander Chris Servello, a Navy spokesman.
News of the Navy action came just weeks after the Army said it had
removed 588 people from positions of trust following a similar
review of recruiters, drill sergeants, instructors, victim advocates
and sexual assault response coordinators.
The reviews were ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as the
Pentagon struggles to deal with rising reports of sexual assault and
a series of embarrassing sexual assault cases.
The number of reported sexual assaults has risen steadily in recent
years, jumping from 3,374 in fiscal 2012 to more than 5,000 in
fiscal 2013.
Many of the crimes go unreported. An annual Pentagon report
estimated there were 26,000 sex crimes in the military in 2012,
ranging from rape to abusive sexual contact.
"The most prevalent reason that we found was that either they didn't
have documented training or they had not completed the requisite
training required for whatever position they were in," said the
Navy's Servello.
He said some of those disqualified could be reinstated after
completing the appropriate training for the positions. He said he
was not aware of any people being disqualified over allegations of
sexual misconduct.
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The Army review also looked at 20,000 records of people to check the
suitability of people for the positions, not to take punitive
action, said Lieutenant Colonel Alayne Conway, an Army spokeswoman.
Of the 588, most were moved to other jobs and 79 are awaiting
separation from the Army, she said. "The Army continues to ensure
that those in positions of personal trust have the right tools,
skills and background needed to carry out their duties effectively,"
Conway said.
(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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