A prominent US Republican senator has told a congressional hearing "hormone levels" of men in the military allows for the possibility of sexual assault.
Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss also admonished commanders, saying they were not doing their jobs.
Leaders from every military branch and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff attended the hearing.
It comes after a wave of sex assault cases and Pentagon data showing a rise in cases from groping to rape.
"The young folks that are coming in to each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23," Sen Chambliss told military commanders assembled for Tuesday's hearing.
"Gee whiz, that's the level, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur. So we've got to be very careful in how we address it on our side."
'Disgust'
The senator added: "But guys, we're not doing our job. You're not doing yours and we're not doing ours with the rates that we are seeing on sexual assaults."
Sen Chambliss' remarks came as other members of the Senate armed services committee expressed concern over the situation.
Senator John McCain said he could not "overstate my disgust and disappointment" over reports of sexual misconduct.
And Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told military top brass: "You have lost the trust of the men and women who rely on you that you will actually bring justice in these cases."
She has proposed that external special prosecutors deal with military sexual assault cases instead of continuing to let military commanders oversee the investigations.
But the commanders opposed any attempt to take away the authority for military leaders to bring charges against members of their own units.
"The legislation... is absolutely the wrong direction to go," said General James Amos of the Marine Corps.
And Army chief of staff General Raymond Odierno said: "We cannot simply legislate our way out of this problem."
Sen Gillibrand's plan is one of seven bills being considered by the committee.
But some commanders said they supported a proposal from Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel that would stop commanders from overturning a military sexual assault verdict.
In recent weeks two military officers charged with curbing sexual assault in their ranks have been arrested for abusive sexual contact.
The Air Force has also been hit with allegations from dozens of female and male recruits that they were sexually harassed or raped by their instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon report released in May said 26,000 military personnel may have been sexually assaulted in 2012.
It said the number of reported incidents rose 6% to 3,374 in 2012, but that thousands more victims were unwilling to come forward
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22777129