Politics

Memo: Army’s Top Priority Is Not Winning Wars, It’s Sexual Assault

Patrick Howley Political Reporter
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The U.S. Army’s top priority for 2015 is not winning wars.

Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh named preventing sexual assault as his top priority for the Army in the fiscal year 2015, according to a memo obtained by The Daily Caller.

“Outlined below are my top priorities for Fiscal Year 2015,” McHugh wrote in the memo. “While these do not represent all the strategic issues that I deal with, they are the most important areas where I will focus my time and effort,” he said in the October 30, 2014 memo, entitled “Secretary of the Army Top Priorities.”

“1. Prevent Sexual Assault,” McHugh’s list began.

“Every day around the world, the overwhelming majority of Soldiers and Army Civilians honorably and capably meet the standards embodied in our Army Values. Offenses by a few, however, are abhorrent to the values for which we all stand, and erode the trust that has been the hallmark of our success,” wrote McHugh, who was appointed by President Obama in 2009.

“But we have an obligation to do even more to safeguard America’s sons and daughters, as well as maintain trust between Soldiers, Civilians, Families  and the Nation,” the memo said. “The Army’s leaders, at every level of the chain of command/supervision, will do this through prevention, education, investigation and, when appropriate, prosecution.”

The memo was drafted months after American journalist James Foley was beheaded on video by ISIS.

The memo went on to list the next nine important objectives: “Balance and Transition the Army; Champion Soldiers, Civilians and Families; Continue to bolster Army activities in the Asia-Pacific region; Ensure personal accountability on and off the battlefield; Tell the Army Story; Implement Army Total Force policy; Prudently manage reset modernization; research and development; Strengthen the defense of Army networks and build the Army cyber force; Strengthen installations through effective energy solutions.”

The Daily Caller has reached out to the Defense Department for comment.

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Read the memo: