The Chief of the Army, Lieutenant-General David Morrison, on Thursday branded the emails ''demeaning, explicit and profane'' as he announced that the three ringleaders had been stood down and were ''persons of interest'' to NSW police. 'This goes to the heart of systemic problems with culture inside the army': Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He also issued a blunt statement to his troops on a video posted on the defence website that has gone viral, warning them that there is no place in the organisation for degrading behaviour towards women. ''If that does not suit you, then get out,'' he said in the message. General Morrison also urged those who became aware of degrading behaviour to ''show moral courage and take a stand against it''.

''I will be ruthless in ridding the army of people who cannot live up to its values,'' he said. The emails also implicated some of the soldiers in illicit drug use, General Morrison said. At least five women - and likely more - were victims of the email ring, he said. They included female soldiers, public servants and others. Fourteen army members were ''closely linked'' in distributing the emails, he said. Five of them faced imminent suspension and the other nine could also be stood down. Illustration: Ron Tandberg.

Up to 90 other Australian Defence Force members, mostly in the army, were on ''the periphery'' of the affair. ''I'd say it's worse than the Skype matter,'' General Morrison said, referring to the notorious 2011 incident in which an Australian Defence Force Academy cadet broadcast himself to friends having sex with a female cadet, who was unaware of the broadcast. ''These are actions by men who have been in the defence force for in excess of 10 years. This goes to the heart of what I said about systemic problems with culture inside the army.'' General Morrison took personal responsibility for the affair and repeatedly acknowledged the army had a persistent cultural problem. ''The leadership of the ADF no longer accepts the 'bad apple' argument when one of these incidents does occur,'' he said.

''These behaviours are symptoms of a systemic problem and we will continue to address them in a comprehensive manner.'' General Morrison said he had spoken to four of the women and apologised. They were ''angry'' and ''concerned''. The email ring included a lieutenant-colonel - the sixth-highest rank in the army - as well as majors, captains, warrant officers, sergeants and corporals. They were based around Australia and did not belong to any one area of the force, he said. The three ringleaders are being investigated by NSW police for possible offences relating to producing and distributing the material on the internet. The wider ring of soldiers are being questioned by the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service. Defence Minister Stephen Smith agreed that the scandal reflected a systemic problem.

''It's a failure of culture and that failure has been there not just for weeks or months or years, but for decades,'' Mr Smith said. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who worked closely with Defence in the wake of the Skype affair, said she was appalled at what she called a setback. But it was a sign of progress that General Morrison was ''not just trying to explain it away''. The army, which has the lowest female representation of the three defence services, at about 12 per cent, needed mid-ranking and senior role models, Ms Broderick said. with Lisa Davies Loading

Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly referred to Lieutenant-General David Morrison as a Major-General. Follow the National Times on Twitter