A trailblazing US Army commander has been accused of ‘forcibly kissing’ at least two male subordinates just weeks after her boss was suspended for abusing his soldiers.
Colonel Meghann Sullivan, 44, of the Army’s 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, has been accused of forcibly kissing one man and grabbing another below the belt without consent, as well as, having a pattern of sexual harassment.
Two sources close to the investigation told Military.com that some of the incidents involved alcohol abuse.
It’s unclear if Sullivan has been suspended. Military spokesperson Sergeant 1st Class Adrian Patoka said the Army had ‘no information on that matter that we can share at this time.’
The revelation comes just weeks after her boss, Colonel Jonathan Chung, was suspended for abusive treatment allegations and counterproductive leadership. He was accused of dressing down his subordinates for minor infractions and that he micromanaged his team.
Colonel Meghann Sullivan, 44, of the Army’s 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, ( left) has been accused of forcibly kissing one man and grabbing another below the belt without consent, as well as, having a pattern of sexual harassment
Sullivan has been in the military for more than 20 years. Two sources close to the investigation told Military.com that some of the incidents involved alcohol abuse
Male sexual assault victims only make up 10 percent of all claims in the US military, averaging around 14,000 cases a year, according to 2021 data from the Department of Defense.
Sullivan became the first woman to lead SFAB battalion, according to the Army, which she took in June 2021. The units were created in 2017 and are identified through their brown beret with ‘advisor’ tab.
Those in the SFAB assist with training and work with partner countries, according to Military.com.
At the time of her promotion, she was called a ‘phenomenal engineer’ and her achievement was listed as ‘one more example of the great talent resident in our formation’ by the Army.
‘As a senior, female advisor, she will also be a great example of the power of inclusion as she engages with militaries throughout the Indo-Pacific region,’ Major General Scott Jackson said at the time.
Sullivan, who has been in the military for more than 20 years, said she was ‘excited’ to take the role and for ‘young women to see that you can look and act different and be successful.’
The revelation comes just weeks after her boss, Colonel Jonathan Chung (pictured), was suspended for abusive treatment allegations and counterproductive leadership
Recently, the military has come under fire after it was revealed a soldier was found dead at Fort Bragg.
Seven North Carolina-based soldiers who were camping with a Fort Bragg paratrooper whose partial remains were found along the coast in 2020 are facing courts-martial for conspiracy.
Specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez Eight was last seen by the other seven soldiers assigned to the 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division during their outing to Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina over Memorial Day weekend on May 22, 2020.
Roman-Martinez’s severed head washed up six days later, but his body was never recovered. The manner of his death is listed as a homicide, but no one has been charged with his death.
Court records state that seven soldiers who were the last to see Roman-Martinez alive are all charged with conspiracy and failure to obey a direct order or regulation related to travel during a travel ban, The Fayetteville Observer reported.
Recently, the military has come under fire after it was revealed a soldier, Enrique Roman-Martinez Eight, was found dead at Fort Bragg
Citing court documents, the soldiers identified by the newspaper are: Specials Juan Avila, Alex R. Becerra, Joshua L. Curry and Benjamin E. Sibley, as well as Privates Annamarie L. Cochell, Private First Classes Samad A. Landrum and Sergeant Samuel O. Moore.
Becerra, Cochell and Landrum all told investigators that they left the island at 3 a.m. on May 22, 2020, to board a ferry in Davis, North Carolina, but omitted the presence of a fourth soldier, according to the charge sheets.
It is not clear if the fourth soldier was Roman-Martinez.
Additionally, Becerra, Landrum and Cochell face other charges such as using LSD, disobeying a superior or making false statements. Officials have said those charges are unrelated to the death of Roman-Martinez.
All seven have all been arraigned and their trials are scheduled from May to September.
