A day after revelations emerged that some of the first female submariners were secretly taped recorded in a shower changing area aboard their sub, the fleet's top submariner confirmed that they were allegedly filmed by fellow crewmembers in what he called a "breach of trust" that has rocked the tight-knit submarine force.
"The alleged perpetrators were removed from the ship pending the results of the investigation," Vice Adm. Michael Connor, the head of Submarine Forces, said in a Dec. 4 letter to submarine brass.
The videos are believed to show at least three women undressing and were recorded over more than a year. They were allegedly taken by a fellow crewmember, or crewmembers, for periods ranging upwards of a year and were widely distributed. The illicit videos were only reported to officials after they were sent to a male officer on another submarine.
Related: Navy: Women secretly filmed in shower aboard sub
Sailors and brass alike are responding to the revelation that, according to a source, multiple female submariners were filmed in a changing area aboard of submarine for more than a year.
The fleet's Navy's top submarine officer issued a statement Thursday about the ongoing investigation into videos made by a crew member aboard the ballistic missile sub Wyoming and distributed throughout the boat and beyond.
"Incidents that violate the trust of our sailors go against every core value we hold sacred in our naval service, " Vice Adm. Michael Connor wrote in the letter. "They are incredibly humiliating to the individuals victimized, and to every service member in our force, male or female."
Vice Adm. Michael Connor, the head of Submarine Forces, called the alleged taping of female submariners undressing a "breach of trust."
Photo Credit: Navy
In the letter to group commanders, major commands and commanding officers, Connor said "we take these allegations of criminal activity extremely seriously," adding that if they prove to be true "the Navy will ensure that the individuals are held fully accountable."
In the letter, Connor declined to go into more details about the alleged filming and the Navy has not specified how many women may have been taped, while an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service continues.
"NCIS is currently conducting an investigation of alleged violations of UCMJ Article 120c (Other Sexual Misconduct - indecent viewing, visual recording or broadcasting)," NCIS spokesman Paul O'Donnell told Navy Times. "As a policy, we do not comment on open investigations."
A more broad command investigation will cover other policy violations involved. For instance, recording equipment like cameras are forbidden on submarines due to operational security concerns.
In addition, there could also be consequences for sailors who viewed the videos but didn't report them.
One of the accused is a 24-year-old second class petty officer, now assigned to Trident Training Facility in Kings Bay, Georgia, according to the incident report. Another is a sailor assigned to currently deployed aboard the guided missile sub Michigan, which has delayed the closing of the investigation, according to a source familiar with the case who said roughly a half dozen clips of the women undressing circulated.
The report provided few details about where and when the filming took place, other than that an unidentified 24-year-old second class petty officer, now assigned to Trident Training Facility in Kings Bay, is under investigation by the local Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
A retired supply officer, who has been in touch with initially provided Navy Times with details of the scandal she learned from one of the alleged victims, said she has received an outpouring of support from active-duty friends, both for speaking out for herself and for the victim.
"It was a message of, 'My God, I can't believe this is happening. You are so great to bring this up,' for me to send to the girl," the retired officer source told Navy Times on Thursday.
The filming is believed to have taken place in a unisex shower area used by the roughly 15 officers aboard the boomer, which has an additional 140 sailors aboard. When women are using the head, they change a sign at the door and men must wait until it's unoccupied.
Navy Times reported news of the videotaping a day before the Pentagon released its annual report on sexual assaults. The story broke the day before Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a Defense Department report on recent progress in its sexual assault prevention and response program.
Related: Incidents of rape in military much higher than previously reported
Preliminary survey data from fiscal year 2014 show that estimated sexual assaults — from unwanted sexual contact to rape — are down by 7,000 cases from 2012.
However, the data also showed that violent assaults are up, with half of women and 35 percent of men reporting rape or other forced penetration.
The video investigation is ongoing, Connor said, adding that the incident shouldn't paint the 4-year-long integration of women on submarines as a failure.
So far, 59 female officers are assigned to three ballistic-missile submarines and four guided-missile submarines in Kings Bay and Bangor, Washington.
"The performance of these women and the crews to which they are assigned have been overwhelmingly successful," he said.
Submarines are one of the last areas of the Navy to integrate. The first female officers reported to their boats in late 2011 with female officers, and women are expected to make up 20 percent of the crews on seven of 18 Ohio-class subs by 2020.
In January 2015, six female officers will be the first assigned to Virginia-class fast-attack boats, aboard Minnesota and Virginia. Two to-be-announced Pacific Fleet subs are due to integrate women in 2016.
"The Navy has successfully integrated women into our aviation, surface warfare and expeditionary warfare communities," Connor said. "It would be inaccurate to say that we achieved this without incident, but I can say unequivocally that we are a better force because of that integration."
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
