[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
JROTC: PROTECTING CADETS
FROM SEXUAL ABUSE AND
INSTRUCTOR MISCONDUCT
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 16, 2022
__________
Serial No. 117-109
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Reform
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available on: govinfo.gov,
oversight.house.gov or
docs.house.gov
________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
49-683 WASHINGTON : 2022
COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York, Chairwoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of James Comer, Kentucky, Ranking
Columbia Minority Member
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Jim Jordan, Ohio
Jim Cooper, Tennessee Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Jody B. Hice, Georgia
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Jamie Raskin, Maryland Michael Cloud, Texas
Ro Khanna, California Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Clay Higgins, Louisiana
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Pete Sessions, Texas
Katie Porter, California Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Cori Bush, Missouri Andy Biggs, Arizona
Shontel M. Brown, Ohio Andrew Clyde, Georgia
Danny K. Davis, Illinois Nancy Mace, South Carolina
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Scott Franklin, Florida
Peter Welch, Vermont Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Pat Fallon, Texas
Georgia Yvette Herrell, New Mexico
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Byron Donalds, Florida
Jackie Speier, California Mike Flood, Nebraska
Robin L. Kelly, Illinois
Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan
Mark DeSaulnier, California
Jimmy Gomez, California
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
Russ Anello, Staff Director
Daniel Rebnord, Subcommittee Staff Director
Morgan Solomon, Clerk/Staff Assistant
Contact Number: 202-225-5051
Mark Marin, Minority Staff Director
------
Subcommittee on National Security
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts, Chairman
Peter Welch, Vermont Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin, Ranking
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Minority Member
Georgia Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Mark DeSaulnier, California Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Clay Higgins, Louisiana
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Mike Flood, Nebraska
Jackie Speier, California
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on November 16, 2022................................ 1
Witnesses
Thomas A. Constable, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of Defense
Oral Statement................................................... 6
Yvette K. Bourcicot, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of the Army
Oral Statement................................................... 8
Robert D. Hogue, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of the Navy
Oral Statement................................................... 9
The Honorable Alex Wagner, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of the Air Force
Oral Statement................................................... 10
Written opening statements and statements for the witnesses are
available on the U.S. House of Representatives Document
Repository at: docs.house.gov.
Index of Documents
----------
* New York Times article regarding JROTC instructor misconduct;
submitted by Rep. Lynch.
* List of recommendations to prevent sexual assault in JROTC
units; submitted by Rep. Garcia.
* Opening statement; submitted by Rep. Garcia.
* Questions for the record to: Ms. Bouricicot; submitted by
Subcommittee Chairman Lynch, Chairwoman Maloney, and Rep.
Johnson.
* Questions for the record to: Mr. Constable; submitted by
Subcommittee Chairman Lynch, Chairwoman Maloney, and Rep.
Johnson.
* Questions for the record to: Mr. Hogue; submitted by
Subcommittee Chairman Lynch, Chairwoman Maloney, and Rep.
Johnson.
* Questions for the record to: Mr. Wagner; submitted by
Subcommittee Chairman Lynch, Chairwoman Maloney, and Rep.
Johnson.
Documents entered into the record during this hearing and
Questions for the Record (QFR's) are available at:
docs.house.gov.
JROTC: PROTECTING CADETS
FROM SEXUAL ABUSE AND
INSTRUCTOR MISCONDUCT
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Wednesday, November 16, 2022
House of Representatives
Subcommittee on National Security
Committee on Oversight and Reform
Washington, D.C.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, and via Zoom, Hon.
Stephen F. Lynch (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Lynch, Maloney (ex-officio),
DeSaulnier, Wasserman Schultz, Speier, Grothman, and Foxx.
Also present: Representatives Garcia of Texas, Houlahan,
and Fallon.
Mr. Lynch. The subcommittee will now come to order. Without
objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the
subcommittee at any time.
The chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.
Today the Subcommittee on National Security will examine
the Department of Defense and military services' administration
and oversight of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
program, or JROTC.
As established by Congress, the statuary purpose of JROTC
is to instill in our Nation's high school students, quote,
``the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and
personal responsibility, as well as a sense of
accomplishment,'' close quote.
In furtherance of that objective, JROTC offers
participating high school students or cadets an immersive
military learning environment that includes coursework in
leadership, civics, ethics, history, health, and STEM, as well
as service-specific classes in seamanship, land navigation,
aviation history, and aerospace science.
The program also providers cadets an important opportunity
to visit military installations off campus and participate in
other extracurricular activities with fellow students.
As chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, I
believe that the JROTC program is instrumental in developing
our young people who may be inspired to embark on a life
dedicated to military or civilian public service.
That is precisely why the program must be subject to
meaningful oversight and operate within maximum transparency
and accountability for the benefit, the health, and the safety
of every cadet.
Regrettably, that is not the current case. In July 2022 an
extensive New York Times investigation concluded that within
the past five years JROTC instructors have been criminally
charged with sexual misconduct involving students at a rate
that is, quote, ``far higher than the rate of civilian high
school teachers.''
The investigation also found that many other JROTC
instructors have been accused of misconduct but never charged.
Our own subcommittee investigation has further revealed
that the extent of instructor misconduct within JROTC is even
more disturbing than previously reported.
In a moment we'll hear testimony from DOD and the military
services about the actions they are taking to ensure that the
safety and well-being of JROTC cadets is in place.
I look forward to hearing more about how they are working
to improve the vetting and certification of JROTC instructors,
how allegations of instructor misconduct are reported and
handled, and how the military services conduct oversight of
their respective JROTC programs.
I'd like to conclude by framing today's hearing within a
broader strategic context.
The United States military, the finest volunteer fighting
force in the world, is currently grappling with an
unprecedented recruitment and retention challenge. This is
driven at least in part by a lack of trust among our Nation's
young men and women and their families that the United States
military will protect them from unnecessary physical and
psychological harm, both at home during training and when they
are deployed.
Many of the young men and women who join JROTC do so with
the noblest aspirations of serving our country, either in
military or civilian service. And so, when they do, when they
don their military uniforms, even as high school students, they
are entitled to such protections as we would wish for our own
sons and daughters.
As the Department of Defense and Congress continue to
address our current readiness and recruitment challenges, it is
vital that we restore and maintain the public's faith in
military service. We can begin by demonstrating to those who
are eager to serve our country that we do not take their health
and safety lightly.
It is imperative that we honor the sacred commitment of our
JROTC cadets by ensuring that they are being educated in a
military culture and environment that prioritizes their well-
being and is reflective of their service on behalf of our
Nation.
I want to thank our witnesses for their willingness to
testify today.
And I will now yield to the distinguished ranking member
from Wisconsin, Mr. Grothman, for his opening statement.
Thank you.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you, Chairman Lynch.
Before I get started, I'd like to ask for unanimous consent
to have Mr. Fallon from Texas waive onto the subcommittee for
the purposes of questions.
Mr. Lynch. Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you.
I would also like to thank the witnesses for all appearing
today. This is a very important issue and it's a proper topic
for oversight.
We have the greatest military in the world, primarily
because of the men and women who serve. These men and women
often grow up wanting to serve their country and join the
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps in high school or the
Reserve Officer Training Corps in college to prepare.
These programs provide training, education, and leadership
skills necessary for the military. JROTC operates in every
state and has more than 3,500 programs. Approximately 538,690
cadets are enrolled.
That's pretty good for approximately, isn't it?
The programs are vital to the success of our military.
Unfortunately, recent reporting regarding sexual abuse and
instructor misconduct is very concerning. The New York Times
found that 33 JROTC instructors in the past five years have
been criminally charged with sexual misconduct involving
students.
This is shameful. It's at a far higher rate than civilian
high school teachers.
At least seven were flagged for allegations previously but
allowed to keep teaching. In total, over the past five years
there have been 60 allegations of sexual misconduct against
JROTC, with 58 of the 60 substantiated.
While those 58 received an initial suspension of
certification, more must be done to protect our young men and
women who wish to serve in uniform.
I'm interested in asking each of you not only what your
plans are to protect your cadets in the future but also if
there are any identifiable patterns across these allegations.
Patterns of location, demographics, age, and gender would help
inform where the reforms could be most tailored to provide the
largest return and protect the most cadets.
I hope this will be a productive hearing and result in
substantive change from each of you.
Again, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for holding this hearing.
And I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. I thank the gentleman.
Again, we have several Members who are not on the Oversight
Committee but who have done remarkable work in this area, in
addition to Mr. Fallon, who has already been waived on.
Without objection, the Member from Texas, Congresswoman
Sylvia Garcia, is recognized for the purpose of participating
in questioning the witnesses.
And without objection, the Member from Pennsylvania,
Congresswoman Houlahan, is recognized as well for the purpose
of participating in the questioning of the witnesses.
Thank you.
I will now introduce our witnesses. First, we'll hear from
Mr. Thomas Constable.
I did not realize we also are graced with the presence of
our full committee chairwoman, Mrs. Maloney. And, Mrs. Maloney,
the gentlewoman from New York, is recognized for an opening
statement.
Welcome.
Mrs. Maloney. Thank you to all of our witnesses and to you,
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, for holding this important
hearing and for your many years of leadership advocating for
the health and safety of everyone who proudly and bravely wears
our Nation's uniform.
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, or
JROTC, provides high school students with an important
opportunity to strengthen their leadership and interpersonal
skills, improve their physical fitness, and pursue their
education, all while immersing themselves in military culture.
Every year thousands of young cadets graduate from JROTC.
Many of them go on to pursue a career of military service. This
program is crucial for the future of our military. So, I was
deeply disturbed by the report in The New York Times this
summer finding that dozens of JROTC instructors have sexually
assaulted their students, abused them, and harassed them.
That is why Chairman Lynch and I wrote to the Department of
Defense and the military services in August seeking information
about how the military services conduct oversight of their
JROTC programs and what changes are needed to protect cadets
from predatory instructors.
What we have learned from the Department is truly alarming.
The New York Times identified 33 JROTC instructors who have
been accused of sexually assaulting their students in the last
five years.
But our investigation, as the Chairman noted, shows that
the problem is far worse than what was reported. We found that
the Defense Department has received at least 60 allegations of
sexual abuse, harassment, or other misconduct in the past five
years, 58 of which were substantiated following a law
enforcement investigation.
The Department also told us that the military services do
not always conduct annual in-person evaluations of their
programs for JROTC. While the Army conducts so-called ``assist
visits'' on a yearly basis for individual programs in need of
``additional attention,'' it otherwise only inspects one-third
of its units each year. Meanwhile, the Air Force completes in-
person assessments every three years, while the Army and
Marines perform such examinations every other year.
I want to be clear: The vast majority of JROTC instructors
are decent and trustworthy members or former members of our
armed services, and they continue to serve our country
honorably by teaching and mentoring our next generation of
leaders for the military. But our investigation has exposed
that a lack of Pentagon oversight appears to have enabled the
predatory behavior of some of the JROTC instructors.
Any allegation of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment in
this program is one too many and needs to be addressed. These
are our future leaders in our military. We need to respect them
and treat them in ways that they are protected.
I hope that today's hearing will illuminate some of the
lapses that have contributed to sexual abuse by JROTC
instructors, and I am confident that the Oversight Committee,
led by this subcommittee, will continue to work in a bipartisan
way with Mr. Grothman and others to ensure the safety and well-
being of our Nation's young cadets.
I thank the chairman for holding this hearing, and I look
forward, very much forward, to the testimony and to your ideas
of how to make sure this never happens again and how our
distinguished military goes forward in a way that protects our
young cadets.
I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
And I just want to say that I know this is one of the final
hearings that we will have during this current session, and I
do not want to miss the opportunity to say thank you to
Chairwoman Maloney.
I have served with you for over 20 years on this committee,
and I can think of no one who has been more productive or
persistent under the rubric of oversight in investigating and
correcting some of the wrongs that we have seen during our time
in this Congress.
And I just want to thank you for your leadership, not only
on this issue but on so many issues over the past 20 years. I
know that you have been a prolific lawmaker.
I can think of few Members in this Congress that have
produced as much legislation as you have, Madam Chair. And you
have been both energetic and heroic on championing issues on
behalf of people who are powerless, and in this case our high
school students, who may feel that they are overmatched and at
a power disadvantage.
So, I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you
for your wonderful work on behalf of the people of New York's
12th District in Congress. I want to congratulate you on an
illustrious and highly productive career. You have been an
example for all of us. So, thank you very, very much.
Mrs. Maloney. Well, I thank you for your leadership, and
Mr. Grothman and Ms. Houlahan and everyone here that's working
on this issue, and you've shown great dedication,
effectiveness, and leadership. And I'm honored to be supporting
your efforts today.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
Now I will introduce our witnesses.
First, we'll hear from Mr. Thomas Constable, who is the
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs at the Department of Defense.
Mr. Constable's position directs the Department's overall
manpower policies, including force training and education. Mr.
Constable previously served for more than 20 years with the
United States Army as an Active-Duty soldier before retiring
from service in 2008.
Next, we will hear from Ms. Yvette Bourcicot, who is the
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs.
In this role, Ms. Bourcicot manages manpower personnel and
Reserve Component affairs for the United States Army and
provides advice to the Secretary of the oversight of human
resources, training, and force structure, as well as other
important readiness matters. Ms. Bourcicot previously served as
an officer in the United States Air Force from 2000 to 2010 and
has held several other roles in the Department of Defense.
We'll then hear from Mr. Robert Hogue, who is the Acting
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs.
In this role, Mr. Hogue is responsible for the overall
supervision and oversight of the Navy's manpower and Reserve
Component affairs, including the development of programs and
policy related to military personnel and Naval education. Mr.
Hogue has a distinguished career as a member of the Senior
Executive Service with the Navy and the Marine Corps, including
previously serving as the senior legal adviser to the
Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Finally, we'll hear from Mr. Alex Wagner, who is the
Assistant Secretary for the United States Air Force for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In this role he provides overall
supervision for matters related to the Air Force's manpower,
military and civilian personnel, and Reserve Components. Mr.
Wagner has also previously served in multiple civilian roles at
the Defense Department, including as former chief of staff to
the Secretary of the Army.
Mr. Constable, Ms. Bourcicot, Mr. Hogue, and Mr. Wagner,
could you please rise so that we can swear you in? And could
you please all raise your right hand?
Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to
give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
Let the record show that the witnesses have each answered
in in the affirmative.
You may be seated.
Without objection, your written statements will be made
part of the record.
With that, Mr. Constable, you are now recognized for an
oral summation of your testimony.
STATEMENT OF THOMAS A. CONSTABLE, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Mr. Constable. Good morning, Chairman Lynch, Ranking Member
Grothman, Madam Chairwoman by surprise, and distinguished
members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to
testify today to discuss the Junior Reserve Officers' Training
Corps program, better known as JROTC. We might call it JROTC as
we get going throughout the morning.
``Every officer holds a special position of moral trust and
responsibility. No officer will violate that trust or avoid
responsibility for any of their actions.''
Those are not my words. Those are the opening to the
Officer's Creed. It's required learning for all new officers
and the creed that we all try to live by in all we do in the
Department of Defense. But sometimes we fail, and when we do
it's our moral obligation to take stock of our processes, to
ensure we're doing all we can to set conditions for the success
of our members.
Today that includes the retirees who are honored to
continue to wear the uniform as instructors, and that includes
the high school students who have heard the call early in life
and joined a Junior ROTC program.
There is no place, no justification for the misconduct that
has taken place within the JROTC program. These incidents are
directly opposed to our core values and in no way reflect the
military training and education that JROTC instructors received
while serving in uniform.
The Department of Defense has an unwavering commitment to
the safety and well-being of all JROTC participants and to
holding personnel accountable for any misconduct. We do this in
coordination with the schools, the military departments, and
the Department of Education.
To that end, my office has been coordinating closely with
the military departments to conduct a complete review of
governing policies. We have found areas where we can improve in
standardized policy and procedures across the services in order
to prevent sexual harassment and assault, to hold personnel
appropriately accountable when there is misconduct or abuse. We
intend to have some updated policies in place by the end of
this year.
We are also working closely with the Department of
Education, given its role in regulating and enforcing
compliance with Title IX and the resources available to them to
ensure that victims receive the help they need in response to
sexual misconduct.
We must never allow anyone who represents the Department of
Defense, either directly or indirectly, to break faith with our
communities.
Over 3,400 schools across 50 states and territories have
invested in hosting JROTC by hiring over 7,500 military
retirees as school employees to teach JROTC to a
demographically diverse population of over half a million
students who elect to pursue this course annually. We owe it to
these students and communities to offer appropriately screened
and trained candidates for employment in the schools as JROTC
instructors and to hold individuals accountable when there is
misconduct.
To say that any case of instructor misconduct is
unacceptable is an understatement. JROTC should be the shining
example of duty, honor, country within the schools we serve.
This issue has the highest attention across the highest
levels of Department leadership. Our full review of governing
policies and regulations is just the first step to ensuring we
have effective oversight and administration of the JROTC
program.
The Department of Defense acknowledges our moral obligation
to protect those in our care and hold accountable the standards
of military retirees who are privileged to continue to wear the
Nation's uniform as JROTC instructors.
We remain profoundly committed to doing right by our
students and our educational communities by providing the
support and resources necessary to supplement the development
and prosperity of our great Nation and its future leaders.
Thank you again for your time and the opportunity this
morning. I look forward to your questions.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
The chair now recognizes Ms. Bourcicot.
You're now recognized for five minutes for a presentation
of your testimony.
STATEMENT OF YVETTE K. BOURCICOT, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
THE ARMY FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE
ARMY
Ms. Bourcicot. Thank you.
Chairman Lynch, Ranking Member Grothman, distinguished
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
testify on behalf of the men and women of the United States
Army.
I would like to start by stating that I share your outrage
regarding the reported mistreatment of Junior ROTC cadets, and
I understand why this is such an important topic to discuss
today.
As a proud graduate of Oxon Hill High School JROTC just
over the bridge in Maryland, I have a unique connection in
understanding of this program. I remember vividly proudly
putting on the uniform for my first time, getting my first
opportunities at formal leadership, learning about discipline,
health and wellness, and most important, what it means to be a
citizen of these United States of America.
I'm grateful for my instructors--Lieutenant Colonel Tony
Edler (ph), Colonel Curtis Spencer, Chief Master Sergeant Frank
Killebrew, and Master Sergeant Dave Ferguson--who helped mold
me into an Air Force Junior ROTC cadet, a senior ROTC cadet, an
Air Force officer, and for laying the foundation for me today
as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and
Reserve Affairs.
I want to emphasize that Army senior leaders require
personnel who are placed in a position of trust to act in a
manner that is worthy of that trust. My team and I are prepared
to work transparently with you to improve the Army's Junior
ROTC program and prevent breaks in that trust from happening
again in the future.
The Army's top priority is its people, to include students
participating in Army JROTC activities. Sexual harassment and
sexual assault have no place in our Army. We take JROTC
instructor misconduct very seriously, given our longstanding
commitment to providing a beneficial program for students and
our emphasis on preventing harmful behaviors.
JROTC instructor mistreatment of cadets is particularly
egregious because of the faith and confidence that the Army,
parents, students, and the Nation place in those teachers, and
we will not tolerate it.
From Secretary Wormuth and Chief of Staff McConville to our
TRADOC commander, General Gary Brito, our cadet commander,
General Tony Munera, our brigade commanders, and our
instructors in the programs, we lead and follow by our Army
values.
The United States Army Cadet Command oversees the Junior
ROTC program and is proactive in its approach to screening
instructor candidates and training instructors to provide a
safe learning environment for our cadets.
Instructors found unsuitable due to illegal activity or
behavior contrary to Army values are decertified permanently
and removed from Army JROTC classrooms.
Six years ago, Cadet Command broadened its procedures to
include the Tier I FBI background check screening in accordance
with Army Directive 2014-23. This screening is the cornerstone
of the Army's JROTC instructor vetting process and enhances the
local school district screening process.
That said, we can and will go further to prevent and punish
instructor misconduct. The Army is working in coordination with
the other services and the Department of Defense to improve
oversight of the JROTC program, decrease the chance of these
incidents from occurring again, and ensure the continued
success of the program.
As Chairwoman Maloney said, the overwhelming majority of
Army JROTC instructors perform their duties honorably every
day. In its 106th year, the U.S. Army has the oldest JROTC
program in the United States. Providing service and civic-
related instruction to students in 8th through 12th grade is an
exemplar of programs for our youth.
In the past five years, its 1.2 million participants
contributed 14.6 million hours of community service. Just one
example is the Cypress Lake High School JROTC cadets, Fort
Myers, Florida, who led campus cleanup following Hurricane Ian.
Research shows that JROTC cadets have a higher high school
attendance rate, a higher high school graduation rate, and a
higher grade point average than their peers. We're proud of
this work and appreciate its value in enabling America's youth
in increasing their propensity for civil service.
Chairman Lynch, Ranking Member Grothman, distinguished
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity, and
I am happy to take your questions.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
Mr. Hogue, you're now recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF ROBERT D. HOGUE, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
Mr. Hogue. Good morning, Chairman Lynch, Chairwoman
Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, Ranking Member Grothman, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to
discuss the actions that the Department of the Navy has taken
in response to the reported sexual misconduct involving Navy
and Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
instructors, JROTC.
I want to convey on behalf of Secretary Del Toro and the
senior Department of the Navy civilian and military leadership
that we take every instance of alleged sexual misconduct very
seriously and are taking immediate action to improve the JROTC
program to do everything within our power to avoid any future
instructor misconduct.
Across the Nation, the Navy and Marine Corps partners with
more than 800 JROTC host schools with roughly 100,000
participating students. JROTC teaches life skills that colleges
and employers highly value in prospective applicants but that
are typically not taught in high school curriculum. Through the
JROTC curriculum, instructors help cultivate skills that
position students better for success inside and outside the
classroom.
Our youth need positive leaders, mentors, teachers, and
role models to help prepare them to make good decisions in life
and become productive citizens of our Nation.
JROTC instructors are often trusted adults and mentors in
the lives of these students and their units. The Department is
taking action to update policy and training to ensure that
JROTC instructors do not betray that trust.
We understand the seriousness of these incidents. While the
vast majority of our instructors perform in an exemplary way,
Navy and Marine Corps JROTC programs have had 23 incidents of
sexual misconduct involving cadets in the last five years and
in every case, we took immediate corrective actions.
Although JROTC instructors are employees of the individual
school systems, the Department understands and takes very
seriously that the instructors' conduct directly affects
students and the services' relationship with the America
people. We are striving to ensure that all instructor conduct
is appropriate and positive, building trust with JROTC cadets,
host schools, and the American people.
These are sensitive issues, particularly because the
victims are minors. It is sometimes difficult for the
Department to know the exact nature of the misconduct and the
results of every investigation as local authorities and school
districts occasionally do not or cannot release information.
But we are committed to working with our partners and local
authorities to improve our assessments of instructors and to
improve reporting and response processes.
We welcome additional oversight and are committed to
improving policies and processes to partner more closely with
the host schools to ensure our cadets are safe. We will be
steadfast in protecting JROTC cadets, our Nation's next
generation of leaders.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear today, and I look
forward to answering your questions.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
Mr. Wagner, you're now recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF ALEX WAGNER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
Mr. Wagner. Chairman Lynch, Ranking Member Grothman,
distinguished Members of Congress, thank you for your continued
support and for the opportunity to testify today on the status
of the Department of the Air Force's Junior Reserve Officers'
Training Corps program.
Air Force JROTC is a statutorily mandated citizenship
program, one that supports the development of America's youth
by building character, leadership skills, and a commitment to
national service. The program seeks to instill a sense of pride
and professionalism, personal responsibility, and provide a
basic familiarity with America's Air and Space Forces.
Like you, I am outraged by the acts of instructor
misconduct within JROTC. Even one incident of this nature is
too many, and it's unacceptable.
The JROTC instructor corps represents the Department of
Defense, and they are expected to be role models in our partner
schools, trusted adults and mentors. We have a special
obligation to ensure that they safeguard the lives of the young
women and men entrusted to their care.
The incidents of sexual misconduct highlighted by The New
York Times are inimical to our ethos and our institutional core
values. Given the incidents of misconduct identified and our
own review, it is clear the Department of the Air Force must do
more to prevent this type of misconduct from occurring at any
of our JROTC units.
To improve our prevention efforts, we're currently
reviewing oversight, committing resources to ensure proper
staffing levels, enhancing screenings, and revamping initial
and recurring trainings. Finally, we're taking steps to attract
and retain a female instructor corps more representative of the
female cadets in our program.
Our goal is to reduce the number of sexual assaults,
harassment, and other incidents of exploitation to zero. And to
that end, I am committed to improving oversight and enhancing
program resources.
In closing, I'm very thankful--and I want to emphasize
this--to the outstanding instructors and staff who continue to
work hard day in and day out, giving their best to this
program, in order to motivate and inspire our next generation
of leaders. Their efforts truly change lives and grow a
stronger Air and Space Force.
As previously stated, even one incident, however, is too
many, and we owe our cadets a program where all associated with
JROTC can learn, grow, and thrive. We are aggressively taking
action focused on improving the safety and well-being of our
cadets and want to ensure that Congress and the American people
know that we take these responsibilities seriously.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today,
and I look forward to your questions.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
The chair would like to offer a motion for unanimous
consent that we enter into the record a New York Times article,
which is the subject of this hearing, dated July 9, 2022, by
Michael Baker, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, and Ilana Marcus.
Without objection, so ordered.
Mr. Lynch. The chair now recognizes himself for five
minutes for questions.
I've had the opportunity to serve my district, the Eighth
District of Massachusetts, for more than 20 years, and for that
time I've also been a member of this committee and this
subcommittee. And our highest priority across the board for all
of our members, both sides of the aisle, has been the health
and safety of our sons and daughters in uniform. And we take
that responsibility extremely seriously, that we must have a
commitment to protect those who serve and sacrifice on behalf
of our freedom. There can be no higher responsibility.
So, the subject of today's hearing, which is the sexual
abuse and harassment of JROTC cadets, who in most cases are
children, who aspire to serve and defend our country, is
especially disturbing.
I think it might be helpful to hear from our witnesses
where the gaps are. Where have we failed? It would seem to me
that there are probably five areas that jump out at me after
reviewing our internal investigation, as well as the
accusations and reports of The New York Times columnists and
reporters.
One would be the preparation of our instructors, our JROTC
instructors. And are we instructing them in a fashion--and it
is apparently at great variance from state to state and school
district to school district whether or not certifications are
necessary, whether or not teacher training is necessary, the
degree to which we require potential instructors to engage and
understand what their responsibilities are.
There is also an, I would say, organizational gap between
JROTC and our military and the school districts, and there's a
lack of clarity in terms of the lines of responsibility, I
think. And I think it's a case-by-case basis, depending on the
MOU, the memorandum of understanding between the JROTC and the
particular school district. And I understand that that is not
uniform across all jurisdictions.
Then there's the reporting issue. As The New York Times
pointed out, there's a question of the reporting of abuse and
whether or not that is seriously followed up, if students are
informed of their protection from retribution, because many of
them have said--many of these victims have said that they felt
trapped and that they were jeopardizing the potential benefits
of the four-year program if they indeed reported their abuse to
a superior.
And there's also the chain of command aspect that overhangs
this whole situation.
There's a question about the removal of--and this is
repeatedly brought out in The New York Times article--the
removal of instructors, because a number of these individuals,
when eventually convicted, had records of prior abuse but had
not been taken out of the process. And some were transferred
and allowed to continue their abuse.
And then support for the victims, as well, to make sure
that following any allegations they are reinforced and
supported and helped in their desire to eventually join the
military.
So let me start with you, Mr. Constable. In those areas,
could you indicate where you think we might renew our efforts
to strengthen some of those vulnerabilities?
Mr. Constable. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We look at this across the board just as you've described
it. Inconsistency is probably a characteristic that's fair to
apply here. And as we look across the population of not just
the misconduct cases in front of us now but the program
overall, what we see is 3,400 different schools, each with its
separate memorandum of agreement, as you've said.
And so where we're headed is toward--we're really pushing
toward policy that would standardize such things.
Standardization, I think, is the watchword going forward. As we
do that, we work closely with the Department of Education to
bridge some of those gaps where we don't have access into the
schoolrooms.
As far as reporting goes, personal data for children is a
sensitive, very sensitive issue anyhow. So conveying that from
50 different states has different rules and policies perhaps
that we don't have access to.
I think going through state department, we'll see what we
can cover. And I think that if we can't get there still, we'll
be back to work with the committees to see what might be done
going forward.
The lack of clarity of lanes with the schools is very
understandable. Again, these are primarily different from the
environment of a military unit where servicemembers serve.
These are high school students who are living a high school
student's life, and one elective throughout their day may be
the Junior ROTC program.
So, in that context the schools offer to them resources for
immediate reporting, for access to local law enforcement, et
cetera. Title IX with Department of Education will bring more
resources to bear to ensure that they're meeting all of the
requirements set forth in the statutes there.
As we go forward, we'll look to standardize again not just
the MOAs but the reporting procedure to ensure that it includes
everybody, from the school all the way up through us and the
Department of Education.
And then with regard to standardization of the process for
response to allegations, the services can address when we go
down the line, Mr. Chairman. But I will say that one standard
is that when allegations are made, certifications are
immediately suspended. When allegations are substantiated,
those certifications are then permanently withdrawn. So, any
case that doesn't get through, we would have to look into to
find the specific details of that case.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you.
I have exhausted my time. And I would now recognize the
ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Grothman, for
five minutes.
Mr. Grothman. Yes, the statistics show that you're far
worse than a regular school. And there's not maybe the
appropriate alarm here in your testimony.
Mr. Hogue, why are you worse than an average school
district that hires teachers? Why are we so far behind even
that standard?
Mr. Hogue. Mr. Grothman, thank you for the question.
I don't know the numbers that you're speaking of. I'm
sorry. I can't speak with any familiarity of how we stack up
against regular high schools and allegations that are faced
within districts concerning teachers.
But I assure you we are very alarmed at every instance
that's reported in The New York Times article or that we've
become aware of otherwise.
Mr. Grothman. That's what it says here. Do any of you even
know that you're worse than an average school district? Would
you be more afraid to put your kid in a JROTC program than a
regular school? None of you ever heard that before?
Mr. Hogue. Mr. Grothman, if I could, I visited some of our
JROTC units last week in preparation for this hearing to make
sure that I had some understanding of what the conditions look
like in local units. And I had this conversation with two
principals. In both cases those principals said to me 23
instances out of 100,000 students. Of course, that's not good.
But in our particular county, we have many more allegations
against teachers.
I didn't do anything to hunt down those numbers, sir. But
that was the response I got at the local level.
Mr. Grothman. Just so I understand we're not being tricked
here, there are, I assume, way more teachers than JROTC
instructors.
Mr. Hogue. Yes, sir.
Mr. Grothman. Are you talking about a percentage basis or
just a total basis more?
Mr. Hogue. Sir, I didn't attempt to get any further
clarification from the principals I spoke with.
Mr. Grothman. OK. Then you're giving me statistics that are
meaningless.
You mentioned you removed people from the classroom. Are
they criminally referred or not? Or if you discover something
like this, do you just say move to another state or whatever?
Mr. Hogue. Sir, when we receive the information from the
schools--generally it is from the schools that we receive the
information--we immediately suspend the certification of the
instructors involved and cooperate with the school districts in
the investigation of the incidents. Those investigations are
conducted locally and are under local law enforcement
supervision. We are not directly responsible for those
investigations.
However, if the matter is not resolved to our satisfaction,
it is very likely that an instructor's certification would
remain suspended.
Mr. Grothman. Well, of the 58, how many have been
criminally charged?
Mr. Hogue. Sir, 23 of those belong to the Department of the
Navy and my recollection is 11. I can get a better number for
you, followup with that.
Mr. Grothman. Ms. Bourcicot, how many of yours were
criminally charged?
Ms. Bourcicot. Mr. Grothman, we've had 40 allegations of a
sexual nature, sexual misconduct. We had 32 instances that were
substantiated. Those instructors were decertified. Two were
unsubstantiated, and we have 12 that are pending. I will return
to the committee to followup about which ones were criminally
charged.
Mr. Grothman. OK. We should know that because, obviously,
if someone molests children in your setting they can probably
go on in life and molest children in other settings, right,
unless something is done.
OK. I want to start with some other questions.
Are there any patterns regarding locations, demographics,
age, gender of sexual misconduct allegations? Can you break
those down in any fashion?
Mr. Constable. Mr. Grothman, we don't have today available
the specifics on the demographics. But we understood your
question from the prep session, and we're going to have to get
back to with you a better answer on how the statistics break
out.
Mr. Grothman. OK.
Mr. Constable. Again, the nature of gathering that
information is very sensitively held.
Mr. Grothman. Well, I would think you would have it in
today's world, but OK.
Investigations of allegations of this nature are led by
local law enforcement and school officials. Can you explain the
importance of that structure?
Mr. Constable. I'm sorry, Mr. Grothman. Could you repeat
the question?
Mr. Grothman. Investigations of allegations of this nature
are led by local law enforcement and school officials. Can you
explain the importance of the structure of doing it that way?
Mr. Constable. Yes, sir. We would not have the access or
ability or authority to prosecute, of course, obviously, or to
investigate at a local level within a high school for a high
school employee, even that includes a JROTC instructor.
When the allegations are made, the school is notified. The
programs are notified a little differently for each of the
services. And so, we are aware so we can pull the
certification.
But as to the criminal element of the allegations, those
are best dealt with by the local law authorities.
Mr. Grothman. OK. Just one more question but we'll beg the
chairman's patience.
Ms. Bourcicot, there are in raw data a significantly higher
number of these problems in the Army than the other services.
Maybe that's because there are just a lot more kids in the Army
JROTC. Is there a reason or explanation for that?
Ms. Bourcicot. Mr. Grothman, yes, that's correct. The Army
has by far the most programs at 1,707. We have 276,000
students. And so, we just have the majority of the instructors.
We have over 4,000 instructors. So, we have the biggest
program.
Mr. Grothman. OK. Thank you very much.
Mr. Lynch. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
During this committee's work, we have worked extensively
with members of several other committees, HASC, the House Armed
Services Committee, and others. And there have been a number of
women Members who have stepped forward and really been true
champions in protecting members of the military from sexual
abuse, and we're going to hear from several of them today.
One of those is Ms. Wasserman Schultz of Florida, who has
done heroic work in this area, and she is now recognized for
five minutes.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I
appreciate your kindness.
And thank you to you for having this really important
discussion and focus on a critical issue, because for more than
a century, for example, the JROTC programs have sought to
instill U.S. military values in American teens, classes in
thousands of public schools across the country.
Yet the military-certified instructors who oversee these
impressionable young people deployed to classrooms with very
little oversight or training. And I find this issue
particularly concerning as my home state of Florida has more
JROTC programs than any other state but Texas.
In Florida, a JROTC instructor was charged with sexual
battery after driving one of his students home. And to compound
the tragedy, that student was then denied admittance to the
Coast Guard due to the trauma that she suffered. And this is
just one case out of many.
In September, while appearing before the Senate Armed
Services Committee, Stephanie Miller, the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, testified
that the Defense Department needs to, quote, ``take a hard look
at our current background investigation process for JROTC
instructors.''
Mr. Constable, what specific steps or changes has the
Department considered to improve its background investigation
process for new instructors? And have any of those changes been
implemented?
Mr. Constable. Thank you, ma'am.
The answer is the services presently use different but
similar background investigations for each of their
instructors, but they all go through a known otherwise used
certification process.
Going forward, our very first recommendation is to take a
look at how we do those certifications, those background
investigations to see if we can't standardize what goes in.
And with regard to the period of instruction that each
instructor must go through before being certified as a JROTC
instructor----
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Reclaiming my time, because I don't
really have much of it.
It sounds like you are still in the consideration stage and
have not yet begun to recommend specific steps or changes nor
implemented anything. Is that right?
Mr. Constable. That's right, ma'am. I'd say it's on the
short list.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. The short list? Really? What's the
timeframe for the short list to be actually executed--
implemented and executed?
Mr. Constable. Well, ma'am, of course I can't get ahead of
the Secretary, but our intent is to put forward recommendations
for some of these changes this calendar year.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. You do realize that there are young
people being abused and that inappropriate conduct is pretty
rampant and that this is pretty urgent. So, I would think it
should be at the top of the short list.
Mr. Constable. And there it is. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Will you convey that to the
Secretary?
Mr. Constable. Yes, ma'am. Understand.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. OK.
It doesn't really sound like there's a tremendous amount of
urgency.
Ms. Bourcicot, you also stated in your written testimony
that the Army needs to improve its vetting process for JROTC
instructors. Specifically, you testified that, quote, ``The
Army recognizes this is an underreported crime and extra care
in the vetting process to include follow-on background checks
is crucial.''
Ms. Bourcicot, what improvements is the Army planning to
make to improve its vetting process for prospective
instructors?
Ms. Bourcicot. Congresswoman, we have already moved out as
far as improving our vetting process. I would like to echo that
we do share----
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. How? In what way? What specifically
have you done to improve your vetting process and background
checks?
Ms. Bourcicot. So, Congresswoman, right now we're working
on rolling out our--an annual attestation for existing
instructors that reminds them of their duty to students to
uphold the Army values.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. What does that--I'm sorry.
Reclaiming my time.
What part of that has anything to do with vetting? I assume
it's a self-attestation?
Ms. Bourcicot. That's correct, Congresswoman.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. OK. That's not vetting. You do
realize that an attestation is not vetting, right?
Ms. Bourcicot. Yes, ma'am. The Army currently uses the Tier
I FBI background check, which is the highest level check, for
all of its instructors. And if there is anything that appears
in someone's background that needs to go back to Cadet Command
for additional vetting before an instructor is certified to
appear in the classroom.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. OK. Reclaiming my time because I
only have 24 seconds left.
In your testimony you stated that six years ago the Army
started requiring all JROTC instructors to undergo a Childcare
National Agency Check and Inquiry screening, and you said that
the screening is the, quote, ``cornerstone of the Army's JROTC
instructor applicant vetting process.''
But, Mr. Wagner, in your testimony you wrote that the Air
Force will not require JROTC instructors to pass the same
Childcare National Agency Check and Inquiry screening until
April 2023.
Mr. Wagner, why is the Air Force just now pursuing this
requirement?
Mr. Wagner. Congresswoman, thank you for your question.
I just want to emphasize that we are learning our best
practices from some of the policies and procedures the Army has
put into place. We are aggressively moving forward to implement
that check. That check is on top of a 20-year history for all
military retirees that in order to be certified as eligible
instructors is a part of our review.
We also are making changes immediately to address some of
the vetting issues that you articulated, one of which is we've
noticed a gap with new school administrators who aren't
familiar with our memorandum of agreement.
And so, what we have done is we will be providing
information to all new school administrators about the terms of
what the Air Force's obligations are, as well as what the
school's obligations are.
We're expanding the training modules online and virtual
that our instructors are required to complete. And we're
putting in new processes and programs into our weeklong onsite
training process prior to them receiving their ability----
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. I'm sorry. Mr. Chairman, I've heard
nothing about additional vetting or background checks or making
sure that we don't have people with a dangerous history
responsible for supervising children. It's really troubling
that so many bad actors appear to have slipped through the
JROTC instructor vetting process.
And I don't understand why the Department of Defense and
military services have not used this opportunity, now that this
has been revealed, that they should have known already, to make
sure that they have processes and procedures that ensure that
we don't have predators who are supervising our young people in
the JROTC program.
This is shocking. I don't understand how this has not been
treated with urgency. And you have work to do.
And I appreciate the opportunity to shed light on this
issue because we are endangering, the military is endangering
our Nation's youth who are in this program without making sure
we have the vetting and background checks that are essential to
ensure that we have people who are safe to be in these roles.
Thank you for the indulgence, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The chair, first of all, I appreciate the
passion and the point that you have put your finger on. And
there is great disparity in terms of the vetting process. I did
note that in some of the opening statements reference was made
to the FBI vetting process which had been adopted by one
perhaps of the branches. However, that must be made uniform,
and it must be enhanced. And I would embrace any effort that
the gentlelady from Florida would have in terms of legislation
to that end.
So, again, I appreciate all her energy and focus on this
issue, and I acknowledge that she has been doing this for an
awfully long time.
Thank you. I yield back.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you so much.
Mr. Lynch. Next, we have the gentlelady from North
Carolina. Ms. Foxx is recognized for five minutes.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Bourcicot, in your opening statement you explain that
there were 26 allegations of sexual misconduct against
instructors in Army JROTC programs. Of those 26 allegations, 25
instructors were decertified.
Does the Army typically wait for the results of
investigations into misconduct allegations before decertifying
an instructor? If so, are there options to temporarily suspend
an instructor's certification?
Ms. Bourcicot. Congresswoman, the Army flags anyone who is
under investigation, which means that they can't have any
positive personnel actions taken on their behalf while they're
under investigation. They're immediately removed from the
classroom pending that investigation. And after the outcome is
learned, then they are decertified.
Ms. Foxx. And does the Army have options to remove
instructors from the classrooms--you just indicated that--or is
it entirely up to the school to do that?
Ms. Bourcicot. Congresswoman, we have strong partnerships
with our school districts, and we work with them to remove
JROTC instructors that are under investigation from the
classrooms.
Ms. Foxx. Mr. Wagner, in your opening statement you said
that differing school district background check requirements
present a vulnerability. And the chairman just mentioned about
the FBI vetting process and that the Air Force is adopting the
quote, ``Childcare National Agency Check and Inquiries
background investigations requirements for all Air Force JROTC
instructors and applicants as a way to address this
vulnerability.''
Will this background check system be utilized prior to an
applicant's placement in a school? And how does this system
differ from what the Air Force has used until now?
Mr. Wagner. Congresswoman, this process is now on top of
our current vetting process. All Air Force JROTC instructors
have a military records check, which is a comprehensive review
of a 20-year military career in which an instructor was
conclusively discharged honorably.
We are now adopting this background check, which is the
gold standard used by schools across the country and the Army,
which includes, as the chairman referenced earlier, an FBI
background check as part of it--this is the National Agency
check--prior to any instructor eligibility for certification.
Then, once a certified and eligible instructor is hired by
a local school, then they undergo that local school's
individual background check, which is done in the same way that
they would perform for any other instructor.
Ms. Foxx. OK. A followup, Mr. Wagner. Does the Air Force
have a mechanism in place where a student can report misconduct
directly to the services? And, if so, how are students informed
of that option?
Mr. Wagner. So, The New York Times article shined a light
on some of the gaps in our program. And as you identified,
while we have a website that has information for people to
reach out to Air Force JROTC headquarters, it's not sufficient.
And so, what we have done is we have already taken steps to
modify the parental consent form that parents and cadets sign
at the beginning of the school year to include specific
information on how to reach Air Force JROTC headquarters with
any concerns.
Ms. Foxx. Mr. Hogue, what about the Navy?
Mr. Hogue. Congresswoman, it is possible for an individual
cadet to reach out directly to a JROTC program manager or to
the program directly to make an allegation.
However, I have to say, the units that I visited, the
principals are very clear. They view investigations and
allegations related to that kind of misconduct as inside-the-
building issues with school employees that they very much feel
ownership of, and to some degree we have to rely on their
reports to us to engage our processes.
But to your other question to my colleagues, we do have the
ability and do, in fact, suspend certification of instructors
upon receiving allegations, and that removes them from the
classrooms, after which we work with the partner schools to
ensure students are safe and that the program is running well
before anything else happens with that instructor.
Ms. Foxx. And, Mr. Constable, for the other services, can
students report directly?
Mr. Constable. Every student has some means to report, some
directly through the local program, some all the way through
higher commands through the hierarchical structure like Ms.
Bourcicot has described.
One of the policy directives that we have penned out going
forward will be to ensure that there's an acknowledgement that
students, parents have all the necessary information to report
these incidents and allegations directly.
Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes the gentlelady from California,
Ms. Speier, who is the chair of the House Armed Services
Committee Subcommittee on Military Personnel and who I have
worked with extensively on this issue.
I was able to be a member of her congressional delegation
that investigated this same issue at Fort Hood, Texas. But she
has been the leader on this issue in the U.S. Congress.
The gentlelady from California is recognized for five
minutes.
Ms. Speier. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. Let me
applaud you for holding this hearing.
I'm not going to sugarcoat this. This is a scandal, and
it's one that each and every one of you need to take ownership
of.
It is chilling to think that after we have been addressing
this issue for over 10 years within the military, where we know
that cases exceed 20 to thirty thousand a year and only five
thousand report, and we know that the chain of command has been
part of the problem, to come and see this going on in our
classrooms in high school is--it's traumatizing to me, to be
quite honest.
You have known about this since 2017. Cases date back to
2017. But for The New York Times article, we would know nothing
about this. And you're relying on what they found out in The
New York Times investigation to somehow inform you of what you
should be doing.
When you saw these cases coming up in 2017, 2018, 2019,
2020, 2021, why didn't someone raise the alarm that we have a
huge problem? These are a half a million kids and we spend a
half a billion dollars. And to somehow suggest that, well, it's
up to the schools and we've got to let local law enforcement
handle this, that's, frankly, BS.
And I think there needs to be an absolute comprehensive
review. Because let me tell you what happens. Lackland Air
Force Base is a great example. There were 30 military training
instructors with these 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds that were
sexually assaulting over 60 of their trainees. Not one of the
trainees came forward to report, because they wanted to just
get out of the training program and move on.
So, to start with, I think every one of these individuals
who have been decertified, I think you need to go back in each
of your services and determine, by interviewing the young ROTC
students who were taught by that particular individual, whether
or not they were sexually harassed or assaulted by him, because
we don't know the depth of this. We've got 60 cases. I can't
begin to think how many young people are impacted. And you've
got to take ownership of it.
Beyond that, I think that most of these people are former
military. Is that correct? Would you say 100 percent are former
military? All right. We've got 100 percent former military.
Many of these same individuals were sexually harassing and
assaulting in the military. Cases were swept under the rug.
They were predators. They got away with it. There's probably
not going to be an FBI record on them. So don't think that that
alone is going to provide any counsel or security to you or to
the families.
And in some respects I feel we should just shut down this
program until you can get it right. I don't want another kid to
be sexually harassed or assaulted. That will stay with them the
rest of their lives. You've known about this and done nothing
about it since 2017 that we know of.
So, I want to know to what extent you can then bring these
so-called instructors who were former military back into the
military, have them reviewed, separated for unprofessional
conduct, and have their pensions stripped. That's what I think
should happen.
I don't know if we can legally do that. And if we can't
presently do that, I hope my colleagues will think about ways
of promoting that in future Congresses.
But this is beyond repugnant, and you have got to take
ownership.
I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes the distinguished gentleman from
Texas, Mr. Fallon, for five minutes.
Mr. Fallon. Mr. Chairman, you are very grateful.
And to my colleagues, I want to thank everyone,
particularly the chair, for allowing me to waive on to the
subcommittee today to discuss a matter of great importance to
our national security.
I myself am a product of the University of Notre Dame's Air
Force ROTC program, and it's an experience that I'm incredibly
grateful for. It's a program that it's not surprising to me
that benefits so many, about a half a million young men and
women in our country. I'm surprised to learn there's 3,500
units across the country.
And what JROTC does is it allows students an introduction
to military life and values and service and provides a
structure and skill sets and it instills that strong sense of
duty and personal sacrifice and teamwork. This is very
important.
And it's so terribly unfortunate that this incredible
program has been besmirched by predators. And make no mistake,
sexual harassment and abuse, as we all know, has no place in
our military, especially in Junior ROTC. And the scum who
harmed these youths deserve nothing but the full force of the
law and justice.
The safety of our students participating in Junior ROTC is
paramount to a successful program. And I'm glad and thank you,
Mr. Chairman, for having this hearing.
I sit on the House Armed Services Committee, and we have
spent a lot of time examining the issues of military
recruitment. So, I just wanted to take a bit of a different
tack, because it concerns me that only one percent of our adult
population in this country serve in the military. And the DOD
has reported recently that 77 percent of young men and women
between the ages of 16 and 20 are ineligible for military
service. In fact, 52 percent of Generation Z has no interest
and desire at all and has never even considered serving.
So, across the board, we're having trouble with recruiting.
The Army missed their recruiting goals by 10,000. It's expected
to be even worse this year. The Navy missed their recruiting
goals across all components by about 2,000. The Air Force met
their Active-Duty goal but only by a little bit of creative
accounting with delayed entry, and they missed their Reserve
Component goals entirely.
So, folks, we're at a critical juncture and we're facing
really an impending crisis. In 1980, 18 percent of our
population were veterans; 2018, it's down to seven percent.
So Junior ROTC is playing a critical role, and it's one of
the few places where young people can have positive and
instructive interactions with our military services. And that's
why this hearing is so important, because it's under threat.
So, for the sake of student safety and military
recruitment, both of which are matters of national security,
I'm calling for greater oversight and transparency within the
Junior ROTC program. It's a role that's become more important
because of the facts that we've shared and as it relates vis-`-
vis to recruitment as well. Instructors need to be held
accountable, and the reputation of our military services needs
to be protected.
Mr. Constable, what is each of the services doing to create
an environment of positive interaction and engagement with
Junior ROTC with the broader civilian population?
Mr. Constable. Congressman, thank you, and thank you for
your service. I didn't understand you were an Air Force vet, so
thank you for your service and continued service.
The services do engage. I think it would be best if you'll
indulge me to allow the services to speak to how each of them
does it within their service. Thank you.
Mr. Fallon. OK. Thank you.
Ms. Bourcicot. Mr. Fallon, first of all, I would like to
start by saying that we share your concern and the concern of
your colleagues on the subcommittee. We are working this
problem. We are taking this very, very seriously. We understand
the effect this has on the reputation of the Junior ROTC
program and on the services writ large and the effect that it's
having on recruitment.
That said, the ROTC, the Junior ROTC programs are a staple
of the community. I mentioned how many millions of hours the
cadets undertake in community service. It's a core part of
those programs. It really does go a long way to instill a sense
of citizenship, a sense of community, a duty to country.
And they engage in activities as varied as adopting
highways, cleaning up schools. There's a number of ways that
Junior ROTC cadets are encouraged to interface with their
communities in the Army program.
Mr. Fallon. And as far as the other branches, is it pretty
much the same or is there anything different that wasn't just
articulated?
Mr. Hogue. Sir, if I could, very similar to what the Army's
and I'm sure what my colleague from the Air Force would also
add.
Can I just add on top of that, we understand the challenge.
We do. And we do take it very seriously, although it may appear
from the newspaper articles that's not the case. We do take it
very seriously.
We understand that we're attempting to draw from this pool
or hoping to draw from this pool for future recruits and
leaders of this country and of our services.
With respect to how we ensure that they're safe to engage
at the school level, if I understood your question correctly,
each of our instructors does receive some training about how to
engage and how to relate at the local.
But, in my opinion, this is one of the areas where we need
to focus a little bit more strongly. And within the Department
of the Navy, I have asked my teams to begin doing just that, to
ensure that how we impart to the instructors the importance of
maintaining professional mentorship distance and yet remain
relatable to the teens is extremely important. And we are
attempting to focus on it and get after that, sir.
Mr. Wagner. Congressman, similarly, we have taken proactive
steps already to address some of your concerns. We're now
requiring an instructor prohibited activities form that will be
now signed annually by all instructors.
But taking a step back, I think one of the things I wanted
to emphasize is that I share your interest in this growing
civil-military divide. And the Air Force views this principally
not as a recruiting program but a citizenship program, one that
helps cadets, young people develop a sense of confidence, real
skills, an understanding of discipline, and, critically, a
familiarity with the military that in some cases might be their
only experience throughout most of their lives with military
culture and military life.
And I think viewing this through the citizenship lens
underscores why this program is just absolutely so critical. As
this civil-military divide grows--you know, next year is the
50th anniversary of the All-Volunteer force. And we're looking
aggressively to take steps to help narrow that civil-military
divide, and a successful JROTC program where every student
feels safe is at the core of doing that.
Mr. Fallon. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. I yield
back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentleman yields back.
The chair once more recognizes one of our members who has
done extraordinary work in this regard. While she is a member
of the House Armed Services Committee and brings that
perspective, she also brings the perspective of an Air Force
captain.
So, the chair recognizes the gentlelady from Pennsylvania,
Ms. Houlahan, for five minutes.
Ms. Houlahan. Thank you. I appreciate that, Mr. Chair. And
thank you very much for the opportunity to waive on.
I also really want to associate myself with Chairwoman
Speier's comments as well. One of the things I was struck by,
having been in ROTC myself and served in the Air Force, is I
remember the people who led me. And they were almost to a
person people who had formerly worn the uniform or were
currently wearing the uniform.
And so, I am very much confused by the fact that these,
theoretically, are people who have been vetted, who have a deep
history of service, and, theoretically, we should know about
their backgrounds. And so, I'd like to sort of put that over
here.
I also was struck by, Mr. Wagner, you were the only one who
mentioned possibly some sort of emphasis on women, and I think
your words were a female instructor corps. So, I'd love it if
you could kind of drill down a little on what a female
instructor corps is, since 20 percent of our servicemembers are
women and increasing to about 30 percent we anticipate within
the decade. Is there something there, having only had one woman
ever been in my ROTC cadre?
Go ahead. Thank you.
Mr. Wagner. Congresswoman, this is exactly some of the
steps that we've taken since The Times showed a light on this
program. And I looked at it and I asked our folks at
headquarters, we have a 50 percent population of women, we've
got a growing number, upwards of 25 percent in the Air Force,
and yet our instructor corps is 92 percent male. Our female
cadets are 40 percent female. We've got the wrong balance. And
I think aligning that gender disparity better will have a
significant impact on this program.
One of the key questions and concerns of this committee is
that cadets feel like they have nowhere to turn. A hundred
percent, by the way, of the victims are female and a hundred
percent in the Air Force of the perpetrators were male. If
they----
Ms. Houlahan. So, if I might be able to interrupt. What is
this cadre or corps of women? Have you implemented it yet? Is
it in existence or is it just a thought or an idea?
Mr. Wagner. So, when the article came out and we did our
own review, one of the first questions I asked was, tell me the
program demographics.
Tomorrow I'm flying down to Air Force JROTC headquarters in
Montgomery, Alabama, and we're going to work on a plan. I've
asked them to come up with ideas. I'm going to help them shape
and sharpen that plan. I think this will have immediate
tangible impacts on the safety of cadets in this program.
Ms. Houlahan. So, I would like Mr. Constable maybe to
elevate that as being something as a best practice, something
that we should be implementing. My experience with our JROTC
programs in places like Coatesville High School in my district
are that they are majority--first of all, majority minority
and, second of all, majority women.
And I think that it is important that we make sure that the
people, not only for their own safety but also for them being
able to see themselves in the people who are leading them, that
there be more of an emphasis on women who are helping in that
leadership.
With what remains of my time, Secretary Constable, I would
like to sort of highlight some of The New York Times article,
which spoke a little bit about the training. As near as I
understand it, the training is simply a two-week military
training course, and of that training it has to do with
supplies and books and teacher-student boundaries, and very,
very briefly,
Having also been a teacher--I was a former high school
chemistry teacher--I can tell you that there's a whole lot more
to teaching than just what happens in your lesson planning.
What have you learned? And is there anything that you are
changing in the weeks that you have in training to focus more
on boundaries in student relationships?
Mr. Constable. Thank you, Congresswoman.
Absolutely. Going forward, as I said, standardization is
our watchword. And certainly, as we take a look to
standardizing the training that each instructor must receive,
we want to make sure it's the right amount of training and, of
course, that it's the right things.
And clearly, the logistics of signing for textbooks is
probably not paramount. And we will ensure going forward that
the training is comprehensive enough to address the sensitive
issues.
Ms. Houlahan. With what remains of my time, sir, could you
share with me a little bit of the DOD approval process for
instructors? Again, really confused and conflicted by the fact
that they largely are people who are serving or have served in
uniform previously.
Mr. Constable. Indeed, they are. They are a hundred percent
people who have served honorably and retired from the military.
The services, each of the services has a process by which a
retiree applies for certification as a JROTC instructor. They
go through the background check and the requisite checks for
each of the services. And when they have met the standards,
they are then certified as instructors. That includes the
training. And they are offered up then as candidates for
schools to hire as a certified JROTC instructor.
Ms. Houlahan. With my last 15 seconds, if you would indulge
me. Pennsylvania, which is where I come from, has a proactive
program that monitors for teachers' arrests, which includes
JROTC instructors, through our public data bases. My
understanding is there's no national equivalent or tracking
system for that kind of a process.
For you, sir, Mr. Constable, would this sort of a model be
useful for the DOD in oversight of JROTC? And should we be
working with the Department of Education to ensure this better
coordination and transparency?
Mr. Constable. Congresswoman, that is definitely something
we are looking at. I believe we owe members of the committee a
response to that by the end of the month. And it is something
that we discuss, and it's certainly something that would have
huge value to it.
Ms. Houlahan. Thank you for the indulgence, Mr. Chairman. I
yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes one more of the courageous and
energetic women who have been working on this issue for some
time. I recently was down in Fort Hood, Texas. And she had been
very active on a case of a young woman, Vanessa Guillen, who
was her constituent, and who has been very, very active on this
issue.
The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms.
Garcia, for five minutes.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for
allowing me to waive in.
And Vanessa Guillen, for the record, was in ROTC at her--at
one of our local high schools, Chavez High School. And we know
that there are ROTC programs around the country, and I think
it's worth mentioning that 70 percent of them are in the South
at high-poverty Title I schools, much like Chavez High School
and other high schools in my district. So, this has not just an
impact on anyone that joins the ROTC but, more specifically, it
impacts minority women.
So, I have many concerns about this. And, quite frankly,
I'm just almost flabbergasted at the lack of real action coming
from the Department of Defense and all the military branches.
Five years. Five years. Representative Speier mentioned
it's been going on since 2017, five years, but it wasn't until
a New York Times article comes out that you all are maybe--and
I'm saying maybe reacting, because, quite frankly, with no
disrespect to anyone, it just doesn't appear to me that,
although you say you're outraged, I'm just not feeling it.
You know, five years is a long time. The article came out I
think it was August or September. And all that we can really
specifically mention is the childcare testing and maybe
increasing vetting. But I still didn't hear specifics.
Mr. Constable, you said you had a short list. I mean, what
does that mean? Just a short list? We're talking about young
women potentially being sexually assaulted and sexually abused.
I saw the list that Ms. Speier just shared with me. There's
many. They are from Texas. That makes me even more concerned.
Now, are you all aware of the letter that Ms. Speier and I
sent in September to Secretary Austin and Secretary Del Toro,
Wormuth, and Kendall?
I mean, why do you all have a short list? I mean, we sent
you all a list of about six or seven items. Have all these
items made your short list? Will there be a data base from the
Department of Defense tracking some of these instructors to
make sure that they're no longer certified and no longer
handling any of the children involved? Can we create a
regulation that requires schools to send at least two school
district-approved adults?
I mean, I could go through the list, but we'll enter it for
the record.
Have any of these items made your short list? And, if so,
when are we going to see real action? And I want specifics.
Mr. Constable.
Mr. Constable. Congresswoman, thank you.
So there has been action; never enough. Immediately
following the article, Mr. Cisneros, the Under Secretary for
Personnel and Readiness, issued a directive to each of the
services directing the Under Secretaries to take stock of all
of their programs, engage personally with each of their
programs, review every one of the memoranda of agreement that
outlined the terms of the instructors in each of the schools.
Following up on that and having received your letter,
ma'am, along with others, those are the topics that are forming
the discussions within a working group across the Department.
As we put together a--my term--``short list,'' what I'm
saying is we're looking for the things that we can do now
versus the things that we can do down the road working with
education and schools.
Ms. Garcia. But can you be specific? I mean, what is on
this magic list that you have?
Mr. Constable. So, the policy initiatives that we look for
toward primarily when I say the short list, again, speak to
standardization, first to standardized background
investigation, then to standardize the oversight ratio and the
manner in which we apply the oversight for each of the
departments.
Third would be to standardize memorandums of agreement.
Right now, they're very similar, but a standardization will
ensure that we have a process that we can inspect against
regularly.
Some of the self-acknowledgement with regard to instructor-
prohibited activities to just act as a reminder, intermittent
reminder of their moral obligation in the classroom.
Ms. Garcia. Is there anything in your list that's a
directive to all the branches for uniformity in the background
check and the testing?
Mr. Constable. So, decisions have not been reached on
whether we're going to do that now. Each of the services----
Ms. Garcia. Why?
Mr. Constable. So, it is a recommendation that will go
forward, ma'am. Right now, everybody runs a sanctioned
background investigation that's used for other purposes. We
believe going forward the standard one will look something more
like the childcare one that Air Force uses, something like
that. But I think we want to make sure that we're not leaving
any aspects of the other ones that the other services might be
using behind, so we're doing that analysis now.
Ms. Garcia. Well, it just appears to me that the general
guidelines, if you will, and I think you call them directives,
should be firm directives about what must be done to address
this issue that all the branches follow rather than each branch
doing their own thing.
It just seems to me that every service person and every
member of the ROTC should be treated equally and have the same
access to a complaint system and to be able to talk to someone.
It just completely baffles me the way that it appears that this
is being handled. And it's just very, very disappointing to see
that it's taking a New York Times article after five years of
these cases going on for you all to act on something.
And I would expect, Mr. Chairman, that we would get a
report on what specific action is being taken with firm
timelines, because otherwise we've seen that the Army failed
Vanessa Guillen.
And it appears to me that right now all the branches are
failing our ROTC programs. And that's our pipeline. And you're
impacting Title I, poverty area, minority students, and that's
totally unacceptable.
With that, I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. Let me just respond to the gentlelady's remarks,
and I fully agree.
What I would suggest is that we will collectively--as you
probably remember, the Under Secretary, Gil Cisneros, is a
former Member and someone who I traveled with down to Fort Hood
and who joined our review of those cases involving both Vanessa
Guillen and also Sergeant Elder Fernandes, who was from my
district, who tragically took his own life after a reported
sexual assault.
And I would suggest that we have a bipartisan briefing with
Under Secretary Cisneros, we lay out a plan. And I know there
are separate plans at various stages of progress ongoing.
But there is a need to harmonize at the highest standard,
for instance, the FBI vetting process. Do we have an enhanced
vetting process that is suitable to all of our entities here?
Is there a way to optimize and collect best practices that are
recognized by the JROTC sector in each branch?
Is there a way to provide the greatest level of protection,
not only from the vetting standpoint, but also the education
standpoint, the accountability standpoint, and educating these
students so that they know that they are protected if they do
need to come forward with allegations of abuse?
So all of that needs to be addressed and needs to be put on
a hard timeline. And I think that this is something we can work
on in a bipartisan fashion, in a deliberate timeframe. But
we're going to be looking for hard deadlines to get this stuff
implemented and adopted.
So, with that, I'd like to thank our witnesses for their
testimony today.
Ms. Garcia. Mr. Chairman, I did have some opening remarks
that I didn't do because in the interest of time and to ask
some questions. I'd like to submit those for the record.
And also, some questions that I had with regard to
oversight of the facilities where some of these programs are
run. I had a complaint from one of my local high schools, and I
toured the facility. I mean, it was really deplorable. And I
know they defer to the school districts, but I think there
should be an oversight role for the Department of Defense and
the different sources. So, I'd like to submit some questions
for the record.
Mr. Lynch. Well, certainly. Without objection, so ordered.
Ms. Garcia. Thank you.
Mr. Lynch. We welcome your remarks and questions.
And just on a point of common agreement, my three major
cities that have the most active JROTC programs are Boston,
Brockton, and Quincy. And being familiar with the JROTC
programs in those cities, I am aware that more than half of the
cadets in those programs are people of color, young cadets who
come from families that are struggling economically and that
have a greater need, I think, for support, sustenance, and
direction.
So, we have to make sure that we are cognizant of that
fact, and we appreciate that fact and that we structure our
response in a way that is focused on that existing
vulnerability, in a way that does greater service to those
young people and those families, because I think we've all seen
what can happen when things go wrong.
I do note the arrival of the full committee chairwoman. And
the chair would recognize, if desired, the gentlelady from New
York for five minutes.
Mrs. Maloney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to ask some questions about whether or not you
have sufficient funding for sufficient staff to do adequate
oversight. I'm concerned that the military services do not have
the necessary resources in place to conduct effective oversight
for the approximately 3,500 JROTC units currently operating in
high schools across our country.
So, I'd like to ask, Mr. Wagner, in your written testimony
you stated that the Air Force currently employs nine regional
directors who each oversee 97 Air Force JROTC units. That is
not a recipe for effective oversight. It sounds like you're
understaffed to me.
Ms. Bourcicot, how many staff positions does the Army
currently have in place to oversee its 1,700 JROTC programs?
Ms. Bourcicot?
Ms. Bourcicot. Chairwoman Maloney, I will, with your
indulgence, take that question for the record. I know that
there are eight brigades that report for JROTC and the Cadet
Command, but I'm not sure of the exact number.
Mrs. Maloney. OK. Mr. Hogue, can you provide the number for
the Navy?
Mr. Hogue. Ma'am, if I could, like Ms. Bourcicot, I'd like
to take the question for the record. But I will assure you, in
each structure we have a program manager, we have a regional
director, area managers, and then we have additionally two
instructors in most of our schools as well.
So, we do have the talent out there to do that. I will
concede that there are some challenges bringing in additional
staff. Staffing is tough in these units. And funding would
contribute to our ability to bring in more staff, no question
about it.
Mrs. Maloney. OK. Thank you.
Mr. Wagner, what impact do infrequent evaluations and
inspections have on the Air Force's ability to effectively
identify problems within the individual JROTC units?
Mr. Wagner. Madam Chairwoman, this is exactly one of the
reasons why we are currently undertaking a manpower study. The
97-to-1 regional director to unit ratio is inadequate, it's not
effective enough, and we've got to do better.
You've got my commitment that we will. We're looking to
lower that number to 30 to 1. On-site inspections not every
three years or so but annually we believe will have an
appreciable difference. And as we put resources toward this
program, we think we're going to have better outcomes.
Mrs. Maloney. Well, that's good news to hear, and we look
forward to supporting your efforts and funding your efforts.
Information provided to our committee by DOD and which we
released this morning shows that the other military services
are also not consistently evaluating these programs or units in
accordance with DOD instructions. In fact, the Army reported
that it only conducted onsite inspections annually for
approximately a third of its JROTC units.
And, Ms. Bourcicot, why is the Army unable to evaluate all
of the units on an annual basis in JROTC?
Ms. Bourcicot. Chairwoman Maloney, we understand how
important and valuable our oversight function is, and we are
working to do better.
We do have a schedule of inspecting all of the units of
every third year or so. And we are currently looking, in
conjunction with our sister services and the Department, about
ways that we can improve our oversight.
Like Mr. Wagner, you have my commitment that we will
provide to this committee information on how we are going to
get better.
Mrs. Maloney. OK. If you could add to getting back to us
what additional resources or personnel would be needed to
enable you to make evaluations annually, as required by DOD
instructions.
So, it's clear that sustained oversight of the JROTC
program is lacking. I look forward to working with all of you,
and particularly Chairman Lynch and our Republican colleagues,
to ensure that we provide the Department of Defense and the
military services with the necessary tools and funding that you
need to get the job done. We can't expect you to do a job if
you're not funded and you don't have the money to have the
personnel to help you do it.
So, we look forward to working with you for more effective
oversight. These are the future leaders of our military, and we
need to make sure that they are not traumatized and that they
have positive experiences and that their character and that
their strength only grows and is not attacked in any way.
So, I want to thank you for what you do every day to keep
all of us safe. And we appreciate your military service to our
country. We are deeply grateful.
And I yield back.
Mr. Lynch. The gentlelady yields back.
In closing, I'd like to thank our witnesses for their
testimony today. And I appreciate the seriousness with which
you're all taking this issue, and I am very grateful for the
energy and attention that so many members on both sides of the
aisle have put into this issue.
And I think this hearing has demonstrated that--and from
your own testimony today--that this is only a first step and
DOD and the military services still have a long way to go
toward ensuring the safety and well-being of all our JROTC
cadets.
So, it's my expectation that we need to maintain contact.
We need to stay in touch. You need to stay in touch with our
subcommittee about the progress you're making in standardizing
your instructor vetting and training processes, for example, as
well as the variance in MOUs that the military services reach
with our host school districts.
And I would also welcome the opportunity to continue
working with all of my colleagues who have raised very salient
points and have offered great suggestions and recommendations
on where we go next as part of the subcommittee's effort to
draft legislation in this new Congress that would hold DOD
accountable for implementing these changes.
With that, I want to thank our panelists for their remarks.
I want to commend my colleagues for participating in the
important conversation that we've had. I look forward to
working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
develop legislative solutions to help ensure the safety and
well-being of our Nation's JROTC cadets.
I do notice the ranking member's hand is waving and he
would like to be recognized, so I'm going to pause my closing
remarks and give him an opportunity to respond.
Mr. Grothman. I don't want to have to bang the gavel, so I
figured I'd get in there before you banged the gavel.
Thank you for coming over today. To be honest, I was a
little bit disappointed in things you didn't know, and I was
disappointed in that I felt there was a lack of sense of
urgency. I mean, sometimes with the government there's a
feeling that we have our jobs, we're always going to have our
jobs, so we can just chug along and not really do things right.
This is a serious problem. You have a sexual assault
problem much worse in what really should be better and a safer
environment in JROTC than private schools. And I hope some of
that urgency comes across as you answer other questions that
have been given you. And we will keep monitoring it.
I mean, like I say, I was at a hearing similar to this when
I was in the state legislation and I felt the same way, that
we--there was just a lack of sense of urgency and things you
should have known that didn't.
But thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having the hearing.
Mr. Lynch. I thank the gentleman. The gentleman yields
back.
With that, without objection, all members will have five
legislative days within which to submit additional written
questions for the witnesses through the chair, which will be
forwarded to the witnesses for their response.
I ask our witnesses to please respond as promptly as you
are able if you receive such a request.
This hearing is now adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:42 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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