The Secretary of the Army John McHugh has issued an order to immediately discharge convicted sex offenders from service, reports the Army Times.
“Purging convicted sex offenders from the ranks is just one of the steps Secretary McHugh is taking to combat sexual harassment and assault in the Army,” wrote spokesman Maj. Christopher Kasker.
Under this command, all deployed soldiers convicted of sexual misconduct will also be returned stateside to undergo discharge proceedings, said an Army spokesman.
Secretary McHugh is racing to ban convicted sex offenders from temporary duty, temporary change of station or permanent change of station anywhere outside the U.S. as well.
That's because later this week the Senate will debate the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, created by New York's Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, which removes military officials from prosecuting certain crimes, including sexual assault.
Historically, sexual assault reports in the military have been severely under-reported, according to the ArmyTimes. The latest Pentagon figures show a 46 percent increase in sexual assault cases compared to last year.