More than 500 cases among senior military staff, including admirals and generals, have been documented, USA Today reported late Tuesday.

The conclusion of investigations and the punishments handed out are often kept closely guarded, according to the investigation, even in the case of public figures.

The investigation identified five particular cases of senior officers from across the military—the Army, Navy and Air Force. The cases included a “swinging general” who had an 11-year affair but was allowed to retire as a lieutenant colonel.

Another was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, fired for having an affair but who was allowed to continue residing with a defense contractor. In February, a retired Air Force general was stripped of two of his stars after a probe found that he had pressured a junior officer into a sexual relationship.

“Officer misconduct has and will always be taken seriously by Secretary Mattis and our senior officers, who are expected to serve as exemplary leaders within the armed forces,” Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Ochoa told USA Today in a statement.

Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel created an office in 2014 to investigate serious misconduct in the military, but it was closed just two years later, without providing any concrete conclusions about the extent of the problem in the military. It was known as The Office of the Senior Adviser for Military Professionalism.

The military has been embroiled in several public scandals, including some that involve sexual harassment and public shaming. One such example was the revelation in March that hundreds of Marines were sharing naked images of female service members, disclosing their names and ranks, in a private Facebook group with almost 30,000 members.

Earlier this month, the military removed a two-star general from his position for sending flirtatious Facebook messages to the wife of one of the soldiers on his post, calling her a “hottie.”

Some top officials have seen their careers end as a result of their behavior. Lieutenant General Ron Lewis, a top adviser to former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, fell from grace after extravagant spending using a government credit card at strip clubs on an official trip.

Former officials have criticized the male-dominated military and its senior officials for behaving like a ruling class, one that cannot be held accountable and that is not fully transparent about sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. Women account for only around 15 percent of the military’s workforce of 1.3 million and less than 10 percent of personnel in the Marines.

“They’re more nobility than they are just average American citizens,” Don Christensen, who retired as a colonel after being the top prosecutor for the U.S. Air Force, told the news site. “They start to feel above the law. They feel like royalty versus an officer dedicated to the country.”

Gen. Petr Pavel, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said Wednesday that while each nation is free to make its own defense decisions, Turkey’s planned buy of the S-400 system would preclude Anakara from being part of any integrated air-defense system with NATO allies, and may result in other technical restrictions.

“The principal of sovereignty obviously exists in acquisition of defense equipment, but the same way that nations are sovereign in making their decision, they are also sovereign in facing the consequences of that decision,” Pavel told a group of reporters hosted by the Defense Writers Group.

While Turkey announced its choice of the S-400 in September, Ankara has yet to sign final paperwork on the deal, and until they do, Pavel said it is “fair among allies to have that discussion, to raise all concerns and potential difficulties.”

Other concerns raised by Pavel about the system were “most security” focused, noting that even if NATO missile defense systems are not integrated with the S-400, its mere presence “creates challenges for allied assets potentially deployed onto the territory of that country.”

Notably, Turkey is both a partner nation and a sustainment hub for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, which is central to the future air power of several NATO nations, including the U.S. and the U.K. Some experts have questioned if an S-400 system active in Turkey could gain information about the stealthy jet that could have operational impact down the line.

Still, Pavel said Turkey remains a key part of NATO, even as outside groups have raised concerns that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is sliding away from democracy.

Ask SSD – “Is There A New SF Group?

Earlier today, several readers sent us this photo of a Green Beret with a new flash. Naturally, they came with the question of whether there was a new Special Forces Group. Considering that in the US Army, the Green Beret is worn by Special Forces qualified personnel, it’s a good question.

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t good. The Army has stood up the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), which has a mission to, “integrates with foreign partner forces, assists and advises local security operations to build partner security capacity and capability and achieve regional security in support of US Natio

...

It looks very similar to the Army’s Special Forces, which wears a darker, Rifle Green Beret. Additionally, their arrow-shaped Shoulder Sleeve Insignia is as iconic as their Beret. Considering the 5th SFG(A) has been named “The Legion” for decades, one must wonder if host nation forces won’t mistake members of the 1st SFAB and its future five sister Brigades for SF Soldiers.