DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997                TAG: 9703160067

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: WASHINGTON                        LENGTH:   73 lines

SEX HARASSMENT CASES MOVE FORWARD IN ARMY

The sex scandal beleaguering the Army moves into a new phase this week as judicial proceedings open against one of the eight men charged at the Army Ordnance Center and School in Aberdeen, Md.

Statements last week by five female soldiers who contend Army investigators tried to bully them into falsely accusing superiors of rape have complicated the matter.

Here are the facts so far:

How did the scandal start?

An investigation began in September at Aberdeen when a recruit alleged sexual harassment. The Aberdeen Proving Ground, 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, is where the Army tests and evaluates weapons. Recruits get instruction in weaponry and learn how to repair military machinery.

How many women are involved?

At least 50 female recruits have made official complaints alleging they were sexually abused there.

Who is handling the investigations?

When a serious offense is involved, such as rape, indecent assault, drugs or larceny, military commanders rely on the Army's investigative arm, the Criminal Investigation Command, based at Fort Belvoir, Va. Investigators from this command interviewed the five Aberdeen women who now claim they were coerced into making rape charges.

How far does the scandal go beyond Aberdeen?

The Army has received more than 1,100 complaints through a worldwide hot line established after the first charges surfaced.

Accusations of sexual harassment have reached into the highest ranks of the Army, with an investigation of the service's most-senior enlisted man, Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney. He has denied charges by retired Sgt. Maj. Brenda L. Hoster that he kissed her and tried to have sex with her.

Who has been charged so far, and with what?

Since Nov. 7, the Army has charged eight staff members at Aberdeen with sex crimes ranging from inappropriate comments to rape. The most serious charges - including rape, forcible sodomy, extortion and obstruction of justice - were lodged against three drill sergeants and their commander.

In addition, six staff members have faced nonjudicial hearings for less-serious offenses uncovered during the Aberdeen investigation.

Elsewhere, two U.S. Army sergeants have been charged with multiple counts of raping female soldiers at the Darmstadt military training center in Germany, while a third sergeant was charged with lesser crimes.

What are possible disciplinary actions?

The military's maximum punishment for rape is death if the case is referred to a general court-martial as a capital case; so far, none of the Aberdeen cases have been. Otherwise, the maximum punishment for rape is life imprisonment.

Those charged with less serious crimes face maximum penalties of six months of confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of pay and allowances for six months, demotion to private and a bad conduct discharge.

At Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., recently, a drill sergeant who had sex with three women recruits got five months in prison and a bad-conduct discharge.

What rules exist about sexual conduct between military officers and soldiers under their command?

Sexual relationships between commanders and subordinates violate Army regulations and are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

How have the Pentagon and Congress reacted to the scandals?

Army Secretary Togo West ordered a review of all training facilities worldwide and asked the Army's inspector general - Lt. Gen. Jared L. Bates - to review how commanders deal with sexual harassment.

West also created a panel to consider changing Army policies on sexual harassment and its training procedures. Reports are due later this spring and summer.

Former Defense Secretary William Perry ordered the Navy and Air Force to investigate their training programs for signs of sexual harassment too. KEYWORDS: U.S. ARMY SEXUAL HARASSMENT SEX CRIME

RAPE INVESTIGATION Q&A

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