U.S. Air Force General Tapped To Be The Next Vice Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Accused Of ' Sexual Harassment'

PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, March 7, 2017. (DoD Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. James K. McCann, CCby/2.0/)

Daily Mail: Air Force general tapped to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs 'sexually harassed a senior officer while she was his aide and tried to derail her career when she rejected him'

* Officer says Gen. John Hyten subjected her to a series of sexual advances
* He allegedly kissed, hugged and rubbed up against her when she was his aide
* She said that he tried to derail her military career after she rebuffed him
* Members of Congress have raised questions about the allegations
* Have also scrutinized the military investigation that found insufficient evidence to charge him
* The claims could now jeopardize Hyten's nomination

A senior military officer has accused the Air Force general tapped to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of sexual misconduct, potentially jeopardizing his nomination.

Members of Congress have raised questions about the allegations and the military investigation that found insufficient evidence to charge him.

The officer told The Associated Press that Gen. John Hyten subjected her to a series of unwanted sexual advances by kissing, hugging and rubbing up against her in 2017 while she was one of his aides. She said that he tried to derail her military career after she rebuffed him.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Air force has just cleared General John Hyten of these sexual misconduct allegations .... Air Force clears senior general of sexual misconduct allegations (CNN). But I expect his confirmation process is going to be a difficult one.

More News On US General John Hyten Facing Sexual Harassment Allegations

AP Exclusive: Officer accuses general of sexual misconduct -- AP
Sexual Assault Allegation Surfaces About Nominee for Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman -- Defense One
Allegations against Hyten could complicate path toward Joint Chiefs vice chairman job, despite clearance -- Defense News
Senior Officer Describes Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Four-Star General -- Military.com/Canadian Press
Trump Joint Chiefs vice chair nominee accused of sexual misconduct -- Axios
U.S. Air Force finds no evidence of sexual misconduct by top general -- Reuters
Senators briefed on assault allegation against top Trump military nominee -- The Hill

Arizona Senator Martha McSally, The First Female Combat Veteran In The U.S. Air Force, Says She Was 'Preyed Upon And Raped' By A Senior Officer

FOX News: Arizona GOP Sen. Martha McSally says she was 'preyed upon and then raped' in Air Force by superior officer

Sen. Martha McSally, the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, disclosed during an emotional Senate hearing on Wednesday she was "preyed upon and then raped" in the Air Force by a superior officer.

The Arizona Republican, who served 26 years in the Air Force, made the disclosure during a Senate hearing on sexual assault allegations in the military. McSally said she didn't report the assault because she didn't trust the system, and was ashamed and confused.

“My drive to fight against sexual assault in the ranks is not from the outside looking in," McSally began. "And it is deeply personal."

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WNU Editor: She is 100% right .... McSally says sexual assault in the military threatens national security (Politico).

More News On Arizona GOP Sen. Martha McSally's Remarks On Being Sexually Assaulted In The Military

Arizona senator reveals she was raped by a superior officer while in the Air Force -- Air Force Times
McSally says in Senate hearing she was raped in Air Force -- AP
Senator McSally, an Air Force veteran, says she was raped by a superior officer -- Reuters
GOP senator reveals she was sexually assaulted when she served in the military -- CNN
US Air Force Appalled, Deeply Sorry for Senator McSally’s Rape Claims -- Epoch Times
Martha McSally didn't report her own rape, said she doesn't trust the system. So will she change it? -- Arizona Central
Who is Martha McSally? Former fighter pilot in Senate reveals her rape -- Reuters

There Are 16 Non-Domestic Sexual Assaults Reported Each Day At U.S. Military Bases

McClatchy News: More than 16 sexual assaults are reported each day at military bases

More than 6,150 non-domestic adult sexual assaults were reported to the U.S. military from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016, according to a new report by the Department of Defense.

Nearly 400 of them were reported at North Carolina’s major military installations.

There were six North Carolina bases included in the report — Camp Lejeune (169 reported cases), Fort Bragg (146), Marine Corps Air Station New River (32), Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (27), Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (13) and Pope Army Airfield (10).

For context, Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the United States, has a population of about 140,000 soldiers and civilians – outnumbering all but a handful of North Carolina cities.

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WNU Editor: With all the public discussions, laws, policies, and actions initiated by the Pentagon, Congress, and the White House over the years .... it is incomprehensible that this is still a crisis. But a crisis it is.

Hat tip to Fred for this link.

Canada's Top General Admits That The Military Is Facing A Sexual Assault Crisis

CBC: 960 regular force military members reported sexual assault in the past year, StatsCan survey finds

Gen. Jonathan Vance calls report of incidents after launch of Operation Honour 'regrettably' sobering

Canada's top soldier is vowing to punish or expel all abusive perpetrators from the military in the wake of a new survey by Statistics Canada that found 960 full-time members, or some 1.7 per cent of the regular force, reported sexual assault in the past year.

Responding to the StatsCan survey, Gen. Jonathan Vance said he is "extremely disappointed" that members have defied his explicit commands under Operation Honour.

"My orders were clear, my expectations were clear," said Vance, chief of the defence staff, calling the survey results "regrettably" sobering.

Read more ....

More News On Canada's Top General Admitting That The Military Is Facing A Sexual Assault Crisis

Sexual assault more likely in Canadian military than in general: survey -- CTV
Survey finds 960 Canadian Forces personnel sexually assaulted in the workplace in the last year -- Ottawa Citizen
Nearly 1,000 sex assaults reported in Canada military last year -report -- Reuters
Soldiers almost twice as likely to be sexually assaulted, Statistics Canada says -- Globe and Mail

More High-Ranking U.S. Officers Are Being Charged With Sex Crimes Against Fellow Soldiers

Washington Post: More high-ranking officers being charged with sex crimes against subordinates

The U.S. military has stepped up investigations of high-ranking officers for sexual assault, records show, curtailing its traditional deference toward senior leaders as it cracks down on sex crimes.

Since September, the armed forces have court-martialed or filed sexual-assault charges against four colonels from the Air Force, Army and Marines. In addition, a Navy captain was found guilty of abusive sexual contact during an administrative hearing.

Historically, it has been extremely rare for senior military officers to face courts-martial. Leaders suspected of wrongdoing are usually dealt with behind the scenes, with offenders receiving private reprimands or removal from command with a minimum of public explanation.

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WNU Editor: Even with this increase in investigations and convictions, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand still believes that these crimes are under-reported .... Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Pentagon is withholding sex crimes information (AP). What's my take .... the culture is changing .... the younger generation finds this behaviour completely unacceptable, and are far more vocal in denouncing it. Case in point .... a week ago I got into a political conversation with my friend's kids (and their friends) who are in their early 20s on Bill Clinton's sexual behaviour before and during his Presidency. Many in my generation (I am in my 50s) were disgusted with his behaviour, but many also gave Bill Clinton a pass when he was President. The difference with today's generation .... no one will give Bill Clinton a pass, and many .... when they learned how Hillary Clinton targeted Bill Clinton's accusers for ridicule .... are turned-off on her. As I said .... this generation has a different point of view.

Canada's Top General: Military Sexual Misconduct Due To 'Biological Wiring'

CBC: Military sexual misconduct due to 'biological wiring,' Gen. Tom Lawson tells CBC News

General made comments during exclusive interview with CBC's Peter Mansbridge

Sexual harassment is still an issue in the Canadian Forces because people are "biologically wired in a certain way," Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson told CBC News on Tuesday, drawing outrage from opposition politicians and on social media.

After CBC aired excerpts of his comments, Lawson quickly backpedalled and apologized for what he called an "awkward characterization."

More News On Canada's Top General Remarking That Military Sexual Misconduct Is Due To 'Biological Wiring'

Canada’s top general Tom Lawson blames ‘biological wiring’ for sexual misconduct in the military -- National Post
Canada’s military chief apologizes for ‘biological’ wiring remark on sexual misconduct -- Global News
Canada’s top general says military sex harassment due to ‘biological’ wiring -- Toronto Star
'Awkward characterization': Lawson apologizes for 'biological wiring' remark -- CTV
Top soldier under fire after ‘biologically wired’ comment on sexual misconduct -- Globe and Mail
Canada's Military Chief Tom Lawson Apologizes For Blaming Sexual Misconduct On 'Biological Wiring' -- IBTimes

The U.S. Military Has A Sexual Assault Problem

Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, left, outlined on Friday the steps that the military was taking to reduce the thousands of sexual assaults that occur each year. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

New York Times: Women in Military Cite Retaliation After Assault Complaints

WASHINGTON — Nearly two-thirds of women in the military who filed sexual assault complaints last year said they faced retaliation, according to a Pentagon report released on Friday.

The study found that the number of sexual assaults in the military declined last year, echoing the conclusion of a Defense Department report released in December. But the new study said that the number of attacks in the fiscal year that ended in September may have been slightly higher than the figure in the December report.

Even as sexual assaults were reported to have declined, the Pentagon said that more service members filed assault complaints, and that about a third of attacks were now being reported. The study attributed the rise in reports of attacks to a “greater confidence” among victims that their complaints would be properly handled.

More News On The Recent Report On U.S. Military Sexual Assaults

Sharp decrease of sexual assault in military, study finds -- CNN
Military Sexual Assault Reports Increased 11 Percent Last Year -- Military.com
Sexual assaults have dropped in U.S. military, Pentagon study shows -- UPI
US Military: Reported Sexual Assaults Increase 11 Percent -- VOA
Military sex assaults down, reporting up -- UT San Diego
Military sexual assault still a big problem, new report shows -- Mashable
Senator: The US military's sexual assault problem is worse than people realize -- AP
Sexual Assault By Military Personnel Still Hidden 'In The Shadows,' US Senator Says -- Business Insider

The Growing Crisis Of Female Veterans Battling PTSD From Sexual Trauma

Female Veterans Battling PTSD From Sexual Trauma Fight For Redress -- Washington Post

Thousands of female veterans are struggling to get health-care treatment and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the grounds they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual trauma in the military. The veterans and their advocates call it “the second battle” — with a bureaucracy they say is stuck in the past.

Judy Atwood-Bell was just a 19-year-old Army private when she says she was locked inside a barracks room at Fort Devens in Massachusetts, forced to the cold floor and raped by a fellow solider.

For more than two decades, Atwood-Bell fought for an apology and financial compensation from VA for PTSD, with panic attacks, insomnia and severe depression that she recalls started soon after that winter day in 1981. She filled out stacks of forms in triplicate and then filled them out again, pressing over and over for recognition of the harm that was done.

The department labels it “military sexual trauma” (MST), covering any unwanted contact, including sexual innuendo, groping and rape.

Read more ....

My Comment:  I have no inside inside intel and/or info .... just a gut feeling .... but I suspect that this is a problem far larger than what is being publicly discussed.

What's Wrong With America's Generals As More Sexual Misconduct Is Revealed

Military Brass, Behaving Badly: Files Detail A Spate Of Misconduct Dogging Armed Forces -- Washington Post

Brig. Gen. Bryan T. Roberts publicly warned his troops at Fort Jackson, S.C., last spring that he and the Army had “zero tolerance for sexual harassment and sexual assault.” Here’s what the Army didn’t tell the soldiers: At the time, Roberts himself was under investigation by the military over allegations that he physically assaulted one of his mistresses on multiple occasions.

Martin P. Schweitzer, a commander with the Army’s legendary 82nd Airborne Division, was respectful and polite when he met a female member of Congress to discuss matters at Fort Bragg, N.C. Afterward, however, he couldn’t resist tapping out e-mails to two other generals, describing the lawmaker, Rep. Renee L. Ellmers (R-N.C.), as “smoking hot” and jokingly referring to explicit sexual acts.

David C. Uhrich, a one-star Air Force general, kept a vodka bottle in his desk at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and repeatedly drank on duty, so much so that another officer told investigators that “if he did not have his alcohol, the wheels would come off,” according to the findings of an Air Force probe. The married Uhrich later sought treatment for a drinking problem, but not before he was also investigated for allegedly having an affair, something prohibited under military law.

Read more ....

Update #1: Reports detail misconduct among senior military officers -- FOX News
Update #2: General Gets a Wrist-Slap for Jerk-Off Fantasy About GOP Congresswoman -- Gawker

My Comment: I have been saying for the past few years (in this blog) that all the reporting on sexual misbehavior and misconduct in the U.S. military is just the tip of the iceberg .... guess what .... it is still just the tip of the iceberg.

Update #3: It looks like the German military has the same problem.

US Congress Passes Reforms On Military Sex Crimes

Congress Passes Reform On How Military Handles Sexual Assault Cases -- CNN

(CNN) -- U.S. military commanders would no longer be permitted to overrule a court-martial judgment in sexual assault cases under reforms approved by the Senate late Thursday.

That and other steps to combat sexual assault in the armed forces were included in legislation outlining military priorities for the fiscal year ending September 30.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed on a 84-to-15 vote. It now goes to the White House for the President's signature.

The sweeping measure that reconciles a similar bill passed by the House last week also includes a compromise to ease limits on transferring terror suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to other countries.

Read more ....

More News On The US Congress Approving Reforms To Address Sexual Assault, Rape In Military

Congress approves reforms to address sexual assault, rape in military -- Washington Post
U.S. Senate OKs defense policy bill with sex crime reforms -- Reuters
'Huge win for victims of sexual assault': Congress sends defense bill to Obama -- NBC/AP
Senate-Approved Defense Bill Includes Major Reforms on Sexual Assault Rules -- The Wire
Congress approves protections for sexual assault victims in military -- Al Jazeera
Military sex assault critics want justice overhaul -- Baltimore Sun
“NDAA bill includes “30 provisions” to the problem of sexual assault in the military”, said Levin -- Ground Report

U.S. Army To Purge All 'Sex Offenders' From It's Ranks

R. D. Ward/Department Of Defense Photo

The Army Is Rounding Up All Of Its Sex Offenders -- Business Insider

The Secretary of the Army John McHugh has issued an order to immediately discharge convicted sex offenders from service, reports the Army Times.

“Purging convicted sex offenders from the ranks is just one of the steps Secretary McHugh is taking to combat sexual harassment and assault in the Army,” wrote spokesman Maj. Christopher Kasker.

Under this command, all deployed soldiers convicted of sexual misconduct will also be returned stateside to undergo discharge proceedings, said an Army spokesman.

Read more ....

Update: Army to discharge convicted sex offenders -- Military Times

My Comment: There is no mention of numbers or even projected numbers of convicted sex offenders in the ranks .... sometimes tells me that the number is going to be high, and the US Army is aware of it.

New Measures Released By The Pentagon To Combat Sexual Assaults In The Military

Pentagon Unveils Measures To Combat Sexual Assaults In The Military -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday unveiled steps to combat sexual assaults in the armed forces by increasing protection for victims, beefing up oversight of investigations, and making responses to such crimes more consistent across the military.

"Sexual assault is a stain on the honor of our men and women who honorably serve our country, as well as a threat to the discipline and the cohesion of our force. It must be stamped out," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement.

Hagel said he would continue to meet weekly with senior Pentagon leaders to review the broad effort to eliminate a problem that has plagued the military for decades.

The Pentagon reported in May that there had been a 37 percent increase in cases of unwanted sexual contact in the military from 2011 to 2012, with 26,000 people reporting everything from groping to rape, up from 19,000 a year earlier.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon Plan To Combat Sexual Assaults In The Military

Hagel outlines plan to reduce, respond to sexual assault cases -- CNN

Pentagon issues new regulations aimed at combating sexual assault in military -- Washington Post
Pentagon Unveils 7 Steps to Combat Sexual Assault -- US News and World Report
Hagel formalizes new policies on sexual assault; no massive revisions to military justice code -- Stars and Stripes
Hagel aims to blunt Obama remarks on military sexual assault -- CBS/AP
Hagel Tries to Blunt Effect of Obama Words on Sexual Assault Cases -- New York Times
Pentagon Unveils Changes on Handling Sexual Assault -- Wall Street Journal
Critics underwhelmed with Pentagon plan to stem military sex assaults -- NBC
Pentagon unveils measures to curtail sexual assaults. Stringent enough? -- Anne Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

U.S. Military Judge Criticizes President Obama For Sexual Assault Comments

White House photos 2/27/09 by Pete Souza

Military Judge Raps Obama For Sexual Assault Comments -- USA Today

A military judge says two service members cannot be punitively discharged -- even if found guilty -- because of "unlawful command influence" reflected in comments by President Obama.

Citing court documents, Stars and Stripes reports that "Navy Judge Cmdr. Marcus Fulton ruled during pretrial hearings in two sexual assault cases -- U.S. v. Johnson and U.S. v. Fuentes -- that comments made by Obama as commander in chief would unduly influence any potential sentencing."

Attorneys for the defendants cited these May 7 comments by Obama on sexual assault in the military:

"The bottom line is: I have no tolerance for this. ... I expect consequences. ... So I don't just want more speeches or awareness programs or training, but ultimately folks look the other way. If we find out somebody's engaging in this, they've got to be held accountable -- prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period."

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Being Criticized For Making Comments On Sexual Assault cases In The Military

Judge: Obama sex assault comments 'unlawful command influence' -- Stars and Stripes
Hagel to Military Judges: Please Forget about What Obama Said -- NRO
How Obama unwittingly gave military sex offenders a legal defense -- The Week
Why Hagel Had to Tell the Military to Ignore Obama on Sexual Assault -- The Atlantic

My Comment: And he (President Obama) studied law?!?!? I guess he forgot that he was Commander in Chief .... and that his comments would be interpreted as orders that would need to be carried out.

A Renewed Commitment From The U.S. Air Force To Combat Sexual Assault

Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward at the Pentagon. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Air Force General Takes Over Vastly Expanded Sexual Assault Office -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — As an Air Force wing commander, Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward handled two sexual assault complaints in four years. Both times, she recalls, the accusers recanted, ending the investigations. Both times, General Woodward assumed the assaults never took place.

She sees things differently today. While overseeing the Air Force’s investigation of sexual abuses at Lackland Air Force Base last year, she learned that victims often withdrew complaints because they blamed themselves, were ashamed or feared no one would believe them.

“I didn’t know enough to try and at least look into it and help,” she said. “You sit there and go, ‘Could I have made a difference?’ ”

The general is getting her chance to make a difference now. Last month, the Air Force named her to run a significantly expanded office in charge of its sexual assault prevention and response policies.

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My Comment: She is facing an uphill battle .... but she is a Two-Star General .... that alone should make a difference (I hope).

U.S. Senator McCain: Until The U.S. Military Has Solved It's Sexual Misconduct Crisis, Women Should Avoid Military Service

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John McCain: Women Should Avoid Military Service Until Sexual Misconduct Crisis Solved -- NBC 

Sen. John McCain, who built a potent political career on his record as a Vietnam veteran and ex-prisoner of war, on Tuesday told the leaders of every military branch he cannot in good conscience advise women to join the service as the military grapples to contain and curb its sexual assault epidemic.

"Just last night, a woman came to me and said her daughter wanted to join the military and could I give my unqualified support for her doing so. I could not," McCain, an Arizona Republican, said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing examining whether all serious sexual crimes should be removed from the chain of command.

"At its core, this is an issue about defending basic human rights but it's also a long-term threat to the strength of our military. We have to ask ourselves: if left uncorrected, what impact will this problem have on recruitment and retention of qualified men and women?" McCain asked. "I cannot overstate my disgust and disappointment over continued reports of sexual misconduct in our military. We’ve been talking about this issue for years and talk is insufficient."

Read more ....  

My Comment: I am usually in disagreement with Senator John McCain .... but he is probably right on this issue.

U.S. Military Chiefs Grilled By Senate Committee Over The Epidemic Of Sexual Assaults

Service Chiefs Say They Lost Focus On Sexual Assaults -- USA Today

Top uniformed officers admit they lost focus on the issue.


WASHINGTON -- The military's top uniformed officers acknowledged before a Senate panel Tuesday that they had lost focus on sexual assaults in their services while they also opposed proposals that would remove commanders' discretion to overturn decisions to prosecute troops and throw out their convictions.

"I took my eye off the ball in the commands I had," said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in response to a statement by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., that little had changed despite 20 years of negative publicity.

A decade of war, Dempsey said, had pushed aside the issue in favor of improving "command climate."

Read more ....

More News On Today's Senate Committee Hearings On Sexual Assaults In The Military

Military leaders: Sexual assault "like a cancer" -- CBS/AP
U.S. military chiefs face grilling over sexual assault -- Reuters
US Senate Considers Changes to Curb Sexual Assault in Military -- Voice of America
Military chiefs balk at sex-assault bill -- Washington Post
Military chiefs defend commanders’ authority to discipline sex abusers -- Washington Times
Top Military Officers Resist Proposal to Take Sexual Assault Cases Out of Chain of Command -- ABC News
Military chiefs fight for commander control of sexual assault cases -- MSNBC
Heads of U.S. military fight to keep their authority over sexual assault cases -- FOX News
Military leaders argue for commanders’ discretion in sexual assault cases -- Stars and Stripes
Levin Defends Military Chain of Command Amid Sexual-Assault Concerns -- Roll Call
Senate stares down Pentagon on the Hill -- Politico
Generals Confront Female Senators on Sex-Assault Cases -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Gillibrand, McCaskill grill military leaders over handling of sexual assault -- NBC

U.S. Naval Academy Investigating Allegations Of Sexual Assault

U.S. President Obama carries a helmet presented to him by the U.S. Naval Academy football team at a presentation ceremony for the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy in Washington (Jason Reed Reuters, / April 12, 2013)

Naval Academy Probing Allegation Of Sexual Assault -- Washington Post

The U.S. Naval Academy is investigating an accusation that three of the school’s football players sexually assaulted a female midshipman at a party last year.

An Academy spokesman declined to identify the students and said no charges have been filed.

An attorney for the woman, Susan Burke, said the incident occurred last April at an off-campus “football house” in Annapolis.

The woman got drunk and passed out, Burke said, and woke up remembering little from the party. “She learned from friends and social media that three football players were claiming to have had sexual intercourse with her while she was incapacitated,” Burke wrote in an email distributed to reporters.

Read more ....

More News On the U.S. Naval Academy Probing Allegations Of Sexual Assault

Three US Navy football players under investigation for alleged sex assault, sources say -- NBC
U.S. Naval Academy football players investigated for sexual assault -- Reuters
Naval Academy probing alleged sexual assault by 3 football players -- CBS/AP
Navy Football Players Face Annapolis Rape Inquiry -- New York Times
Navy football players investigated in sex assault complaint -- CNN
Three Naval Academy football players investigated in alleged sexual assault on female midshipman -- Baltimore Sun
3 USNA Football Players Face Sexual Assault Probe -- Military.com

President Obama: Sexual Assault Threatens Trust In Military

Sex Assaults Threaten Military Trust, Obama Tells Naval Graduates -- CNN

(CNN) -- A rash of sexual assaults in the armed forces undermines Americans' confidence in the military, President Barack Obama told newly commissioned officers at the U.S. Naval Academy Friday.

"Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong," Obama told the graduates, who were commissioned as Naval ensigns and Marine Corps second lieutenants.

"That's why we have to be determined to stop these crimes. Because they have no place in the greatest military on Earth," Obama continued.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama's Speech To The U.S. Naval Academy

Obama urges military to stamp out sexual assault -- Reuters
Amid military sexual assault crisis, Obama urges Navy grads to uphold honor -- CBS
Obama challenges Naval Academy graduates to help restore trust in institutions -- NBC
Obama: sex assaults undermine trust in military -- AFP
Obama decries military sexual assault in address to Navy grads -- MSNBC
Obama tells Navy class culture of sex assault must end -- BBC
Obama: Sexual Assaults Threaten Military Strength -- Voice of America
Obama Speaks to Naval Graduates About Sexual Assault Issue -- New York Times
Citing military sexual assaults, Obama urges Naval Academy graduates to uphold public trust -- Washington Post
President Obama: Assaults undermine military effectiveness -- Politico

85,000 U.S. Veterans Treated Last Year Over Alleged Military Sex Assaults

85K Vets Treated For Sex Abuse in 2012 -- Newser

(Newser) – An AP report reveals the stunning scope of the sexual assault crisis rocking the military: Last year, more than 85,000 veterans received treatment for sex abuse, while 4,000 applied for disability benefits; 40% of those treated were men. The cases run as far back as the Vietnam War, with the most common long-term effects being post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, the AP notes based on Department of Veterans Affairs data. The VA says one in five women and one in 100 men screen positive for "military sexual trauma," defined by the VA as "any sexual activity where you are involved against your will," ranging from sexual harassment to rape.

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Update: More than 85,000 veterans treated last year over alleged military sex abuse, report says -- AP

My Comment: This is a staggering number for just one year. I am speechless.

President Obama Meets With U.S. Military Leaders Over The Growing Problem Of Sexual Assaults In The Military

U.S. President Barack Obama (3rd L) speaks to the media as he sits between Secretary of Defense Chucck Hagel and General Dempsey. Reuters/Yuri Gripas

Obama: Pentagon Leaders 'Ashamed' Over Sexual Assaults Plaguing Military -- CNN

(CNN) -- U.S. military leaders are "angry" and "ashamed" over sexual assaults plaguing the armed forces, President Barack Obama said Thursday after ordering top Pentagon officials to "leave no stone unturned" in the effort to stop the abuse.

The president's comments came the same day legislation was introduced in Congress to ease the victims' quest for justice, a move that followed news this month of two high-profile cases involving sexual assault in the military -- allegedly by the very service members tasked with preventing such crimes.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Meeting With U.S. Military Leaders Over The Growing Problem Of Sexual Assaults In The Military

Obama Emphasizes Concern About Sexual Assault in Military -- US Department of Defense
Dempsey: Sexual Assault Constitutes Crisis in Military -- US Department of Defense
Barack Obama: US military 'ashamed' about sexual assault -- AP
Obama deplores sex crimes in military, says there’s ‘no silver bullet’ -- Washington Post
Top U.S. general warns of sexual assault 'crisis,' meets Obama -- Reuters
US military forced to face ‘crisis’ over sexual assault cases -- The Independent
US military leaders vow to tackle sexual assault issue as Congress pledges action -- The Guardian
Army chief: Time to fight against sex assault -- US News and World Report