Army chief tells MPs of anger and shame at allegations made by women in the military
The head of the Army has told a group of MPs he's ashamed to hear the allegations being reported by serving women of harassment, sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour.
General Sir Roly Walker was giving evidence to the Defence Committee alongside the other service chiefs and the Veterans Minister.
Committee member Mike Martin, himself a former Army officer, banged the table as he read accounts of women alleging assault and mistreatment in the Armed Forces on the military banter channel Fill Your Boots.
The Army chief responded: "Like you, I can tell by the way you're reading those stories how upset they make you feel.
"How angry they make me feel, how ashamed I am as the head of the Army that those are what our soldiers are reporting."
The Defence Select Committee was following up its damning 2021 report on Women in the Armed Forces.
It is the first time all three service chiefs have appeared together in front of the committee since 2011 – a sign, they say, of how seriously they take the issue of unacceptable behaviour against women in the military.
First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key flagged dismissals from the Royal Navy following the investigation into misconduct and inappropriate behaviour on board submarines.
"We discharged directly three people from the service based upon the poor leadership and behaviours that they had exhibited," he said.
"And during the same period, discharged another 18 because of the wider evidence that came forward."
Minister for Veterans and People Al Carns said he hoped a new task force, recently announced, will help raise awareness of and tackle violence against women across the military.
This will include a new tri-service unit sitting outside the chain of command attempting to tackle unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces.
The changes also look to protect and support women across UK defence, with a central Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce established to drive cultural improvements.
But Mr Carns warned it wasn't possible to eradicate all unacceptable behaviour.
"We've got to accept that this behaviour, we're trying to reduce it as best as possible, but we can't rule it out completely," he said.
"There is every chance that stuff will come up, but when it does, what I would say is defence will treat it with the absolute severity that it requires."
It comes after 19-year-old Royal Artillery soldier Jaysley Beck was found hanged in her room in Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021.
Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled at the Salisbury inquest that the Army's failure to take action after Gunner Beck was harassed by her line manager contributed to her death.
He also ruled that "on the balance of probabilities", she had been sexually assaulted by another senior colleague and the Army's failure to take appropriate action "more than minimally" had contributed to her death.
Following the case, there was an outpouring on social media of servicewomen telling tales of bullying, sexual assault and harassment.
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