Army’s Top Enlisted Man Accused of Sexual Assault

A 22-year Army veteran who recently retired has accused the Army’s senior enlisted man of having sexually assaulted and harassed her when she worked for him as a public affairs officer, Army officials said Monday.

Sgt. Maj. Brenda Hoster sent a sworn statement to the Criminal Investigative Division Command on Monday, alleging she had been mistreated by Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. McKinney, a 29-year veteran and Legion of Merit holder.

The Army released a statement on McKinney’s behalf that said he “denies he ever engaged in any form of sexual misconduct or improper treatment with the retired sergeant major who made the allegations.” At the same time, McKinney asked to be excused from his duties on a military-civilian panel, set up late last year by Army Secretary Togo West Jr. to look into the Army’s handling of sexual harassment.

Hoster’s sworn statement was sent to the criminal investigative headquarters by certified mail Monday. The New York Times first reported Hoster’s allegations in today’s editions.

Attempts to locate Hoster on Monday were unsuccessful.

Her accusation comes at a sensitive time for the Army, which is trying to get a handle on the large number of sexual misconduct complaints that flooded an Army hot line set up in November after it was disclosed that three drill instructors at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland had been charged with sexual assault, one with multiple rapes. Since then, three other instructors there have also been charged with various sexual misdeeds.

Today some of the Army’s senior officers, followed by those of the other military services, are scheduled to give the Senate Armed Services Committee a status report on efforts to wipe out sexual harassment and on the scope of the criminal investigations.