The U.S. Army disqualified 588 members of the military from serving as sexual assault counselors, recruiters or drill sergeants due to previous infractions, USA Today reported Wednesday.
The soldiers were removed due to criminal or unethical behavior ranging from sexual assault to drunk driving, according to USA Today.
The number removed from these “positions of trust” is 10 times higher than the number initially disqualified last summer after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the initial review.
It was not clear how many of the soldiers disqualified were ordered out of the army, according to USA Today.
“We will continue working to better ensure we select the very best people for these posts, and that the chain of command knows what is expected of them, and how important this work is to the Army,” spokesman Army Col. David Patterson said in a statement.
