BAGHDAD – The US military commander in northern Iraq defended yesterday a new policy which would see strict penalties, including possible jail time, being imposed for troops who become pregnant or get other soldiers pregnant.
“In this 22,000-soldier task force, I need every soldier Ive got, especially since we are facing a drawdown of forces during our mission, Maj Gen Tony Cucolo, who commands US soldiers in northern Iraq, said in a statement.
Gen Cucolo’s new directive, issued last month when he took command, lays out a long list of activities that could lead to court martial or criminal charges, from gambling to stealing historical artefacts, and applies only to his command.
The clause about pregnancy has garnered the most attention, affecting seven soldiers under Gen Cucolo’s command, according to military spokesman Maj Jeff Allen. The command includes 1,682 female soldiers, Maj Allen said.
There are some 115,000 US troops in Iraq, a number set to drop to about 50,000 by the end of August next year as the US military ends combat operations. Under a deal with Iraq, a full withdrawal of US troops is due by the end of 2011.
US Central Command rules do not prohibit “sexual contact between consenting, single service members”.
“I wanted to encourage my soldiers to think before they acted, and understand their behaviour and actions have consequences -- all of their behaviour,” Gen Cucolo said.
“I consider the male soldier as responsible for taking a soldier out of the fight just as responsible as the female soldier who must redeploy,” Gen Cucolo said.
Maj Allen said Gen Cucolo “takes each case on its own merits, considering each set of circumstances before deciding on punishment”.
He said such punishment could, in the most serious case, include jail time. But soldiers violating the rule so far have received letters of reprimand.
In a statement to ABC News, Gen Cucolo said he would not resort to using the court martial for such cases.
“I see absolutely no circumstance where I would punish a female soldier by court martial for a violation ... I fully intend to handle these cases through lesser disciplinary action,” he wrote, according to the ABC report. – (Reuters)