Female Army commander accused of multiple sexual assaults of subordinates: report

A female Army commander is under investigation for sexual harassment after allegedly “forcefully kissing” her male subordinates and grabbing them below the belt.

Col. Meghann Sullivan, commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion at the 5th SFAB, has been under investigation over an alleged pattern of assault and harassment against the men under her watch, according to Military.com.

Sullivan allegedly assaulted two male subordinates by forcefully kissing them and grabbing a man “below the belt” without consent, sources told the outlet.

In addition to the two sexual assaults, the commander faces accusations of sexually harassing several additional subordinates, according to the publication.

Just 10% of sexual assault cases within the military involve male victims, according to 2021 Department of Defense data.

However, the number — estimated to be about 14,000 soldiers a year — of male victims is likely higher as many cases go unreported due to stigma and fear of being an outcast.

The same year, reports of sexual assaults within the military increased by 13% from a year earlier — with the uptick largely driven by cases within the Army.

Sexual assaults involving Army soldiers jumped nearly 26% in 2021.

A source told Military.com that alcohol abuse may have played a role in the incidents. Sullivan didn’t return the publication’s request for comment.

Sullivan — who became the first woman to command a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) in June 2021 — is still in her position, it appears.

“I’ve been in the Army over twenty years as an engineer, diversity and inclusion makes us stronger,” Sullivan said at the time of her appointment.

“I am excited for young women to see that you can look and act different and be successful — I’d tell these women, don’t let anyone put a cap on you.”

The engineer battalion at the 5th SFAB is made up of teams of engineers who advise allies in numerous Indo-Pacific countries like Japan, Mongolia, Thailand and others.

Sullivan is not the only top official in the brigade to be investigated.

Her boss and the brigade’s commander, Col. Jonathan Chung, was suspended as authorities investigated accusations that he created a toxic environment in which he abused his power and belittled subordinates, according to Military.com.