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Subscribe to RSSSenior U.S. defense officials, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, announce new efforts to combat sexual assault in the military.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the Pentagon is preparing new initiatives to try to curb sexual assaults in the military -- a problem he believes could be six times greater than reported.
Panetta said 3,191 sex assault cases were reported in the military last year, but because so few victims come forward, he believes the real number is closer to 19,000 assaults. In 2010, 3,158 cases were reported.
"It is an affront to the basic American values we defend and it is a stain on the good honor of the great majority of our troops and our families," said Panetta during a press conference at the Pentagon.
“These women and these men who are willing to fight and die to protect and serve our country – they deserve better protection. Their families and dependents also sacrifice and serve. And so for this reason, we must spare no effort to protect them against this heinous crime. … One sexual assault is one too many.”
Panetta said new initiatives include extending victim services to military spouses as well as Pentagon civilians and contractors working abroad. Also, more money will go toward training investigators and lawyers to go after and prosecute perpetrators.
Under the new measures, service members who file sexual abuse charges can immediately transfer to a new unit or base to avoid harassment or contact with the accused attacker.
The proposals require congressional approval.
'Deeply regret'
Panetta spoke two days before the premiere of a new documentary about sexual assault in the U.S. military, titled "The Invisible War." The film is being shown at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Saying he wanted to speak directly to the victims of sexual assault in the Defense Department, Panetta said somberly: "I deeply regret that such crimes occur in the U.S. military ... I'm committed to providing you the support and resources you need and to taking whatever steps are necessary to keep what happened to you from happening to others."
"The Invisible War" premieres Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
Announcement of those two changes accompanied the Pentagon's annual report last month showing assault cases rose at the nation's three major military academies in the latest academic year from one year earlier.
The Defense Department's "Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies" for academic year 2010-2011 found there were 65 reports of sexual assaults involving cadets and midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. That was up from 41 reported assaults in the prior academic year. Officials said they could not conclusively identify the reasons for the increase but that it could be because the department has worked to encourage more victims to report assaults.
Beyond the academy report every December, the Pentagon also releases an annual report each March on sexual assaults throughout the services.
This post includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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Leave a Comment:
Still worried about 4 grunts peeing on some dead meat are we? Perhaps we should tend to the RAPE problem first.
The grunts that did that are the same type that would rape a female soldier. Dead meat. What a jerk.
All this about sexual assaults IN the Military BUT what about the assaults on civilians while our military is stationed abroad in another country?
Don't know? Look at the number of children left behind after the soldiers depart.
THEN the government places gays in the military (who are sexually oriented toward anyone, anywhere, anytime) and you have a powder keg.
But as some of you have indicated, the Military will sweep it all under the carpet under the orders of the Commander-In-Chief.
Hi John Coward.......... oops Texas Clown
john you bring up a great point. with these children that are left behind would they not be considered US citizens since 1 parent is a US citizen? if so would they not also be able to come to the US with whatever belief system they have and run for political office, even the US presidency? i never looked at the fact that as a child of a military member & foreign national you could claim all rights given to all US citizens including this one. anyone have know the facts on this? i am not seeking the i hate/love Obama garbage with spin facts applied. i would like to know the real truth on this subject with actual research backing up the presented facts.
Wow, gays are sexually oriented toward anyone, anywhere, anytime? That's one of the stupidest comments I've heard in a while. The powder keg is the creeps who do this and their officers who refuse to do anything about it. Maybe if the girl shoots her attacker something would be done.
Bubba,you are a fool.Does being so called trained to kill give a person the right to rape another??I wonder what your sister,mother or neighbors wife or yours would say to that.I spent 6yrs in the infantry in late 60's early 70's and would not rape then or now..grow up..
Do you think this wasn't going to happen, close quarters trained violence. Don't think you're special millions have served with GREAT HONOR such as you, but you will get the few low life under this environment that will, well lets just say you should read what some of the men did on the islands in WWII that they would not do in civilized society and never did again. They lived what we think of as a normal life.
The military is going to be our worst enemy, there already out of control, we look at other countries, we better look at our own cause we are just as bad or worst then most contries !!
If it's that big of a problem, then maybe women shouldn't be in the military. On the other hand, 19,000 assaults sounds bloated and a sensational attempt to elevate a managable problem to a crisis in order to gain PC status for political gain. I guess we're the only nation in the world that has this problem.
In any case, 19,000 cases sounds like pure B.S. and just another issue to keep us pitted against each other.
Hell yeah....... git dem dum bit**es outa da milatary. Put some burkras on 'em in pulblic too yeah dat'll fix em.
How's that sound alur clown
In Obama's new millitary it will be: Ben assaults John, and Debbie assaults Julie. With the new gay recruits this will only get worse. I love the old America pre-liberalism.
Troll Coward
David,
You seem to have sensitivity issues. Are you upset by other peoples points of view?
Cut off there penisths : )
When I first heard about this type of thing first-hand from somebody who knows, I asked that person what are these enlisted personnel thinking? And it's not just fellow soldiers being assaulted, it's the citizens from whatever country these people might be serving in. Where could they have gotten the idea that this is what you do when you're in the military and away from home? It's not as if they can just dial up the family lawyer and have them come and get them out of trouble. What gives?
When living in Asia, often received news of soldiers in Japan raping some of the Japanese women. I believe it was in Okinawa. Needless to say, the citizens of that area DO NOT WANT our military there. Can you blame them?
Now that gays can openly serve it'll be just a metter of time before the military sex abuse reputation becomes like that of the prisons.
prison sex is more about control and violence and less about sexual satisfaction. sad to say but true none the less. if it was about sex it wouldn't be called prison rape.
ALL sexual assault is about power/control, not sexual satisfaction. It's not about sex, or testosterone, or sexual frustration. Perhaps to fix this problem we should start with some basic criminology 101 courses.
I have no doubt about these numbers. When i first deployed to iraq we were warned by the base commander to run with a buddy so that we had someone to out run if they army ambushed you in a dark place, sacrificial lamb as the other guy went for help. Most of these assaults are male on male or group on male assaults. This is what happens when you confine a large group of males in a small area and tell them "no sex".
Oh yes, that makes me really proud of our military!
that's what happened after they outlawed "rape and pillaging" as a battle tactic. Guys without sex doesn't happen, they'll figure out a way to get it somehow. Why do you think the government paid prostitutes during WWI and WWII?
Seriously guys, if that were true, about "guys without sex driven to rape" how come you haven't??? How come some buddy of yours hasn't? We all know that "dry spells" happen. Rape/sexual assault isn't about sex, or sexual frustration, it's about power/control.
Who do you control sarah! Sex is about power and control, not just rape.
Bubba,
Um, no sex isn't about power and control. Even if you play those kinds of games, it's still with the consent of whoever your partner is.
You have issues.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if the military accepts 19,000 as the number of sexual assaults, then the real figure has to be three to four times and possibly more. Our government, our elected officlals hve a thing about secrecy, denying the facts as most of the rogue nations. I don't recall our government telling its citizenry the truth ever. From "we don't torture", to the syphillis experiments with blacks, and medical experiments in Guatemala, to LSD experiments on innocent civilians, military, to WMDs, war crimes, etc, etc.
I have known from very early that for women to make it up the ladder, they have to let their superiors have their way with them and keep, a la mafia, the omerta code that rival that of the blue shield code of silence or kiss their career good bye. The military is a man's world and pioneer women are not welcome, thank you very much. Since blacks were put off limits, they have too much free time in their hands and it's said that idleness is the root, along with money, of evil. I have also seen many women that don't stand for their rights and when you don't defend those rights, they lose them. Oh, well, it's said that in the game of love, every thing is fair game and since boys always will be boys, they don't know to distinguish between been an officer and a gentleman and an outcontrol animal.
Men and Women in the military "Together"....golly it sure is hard to figure rape happens! Gosh, I'm so completely shocked! And today's Biggest Idiot Moron award is these two lucky and witty Numb Skulls who share the award today...."Sandtrich" and Brain damaged buddy...."Shonymat", didn't your parents ever tell you NOT to broadcast your Stupidity?
Rick Perry is sucha a twisted sicko that he probably gets off to watching Marines peeing on dead corpses.........and military sexual assaults
Perry knows Jeezus would be cool with that
Macho American boys with guys. No cultural or moral values.
What the heck do you expect?!
I wonder what percentage of these assaults are black related. I would bet a large percentage.
as a veteran with 2 sons serving currently, my sons know if they abuse their wives, daughters, or any other woman in any way the military punishment will be the least of their worries. i will not overreact but after investigation and confirmation they will have to deal with me. all the time spent on don't ask, don't tell all the while covering up the sexual deviants behaviors is just another debacle we have been fear mongered through. when i was a single father and my niece had a friend that was gay and helped babysit my sons, all my ex wife worried about was "he better not molest my sons". i am catholic and told her i was more worried about my priest, the little league coach, gym teacher, or scout master than i ever was about him. he liked men not little boys. i had more to worry than they did. fortunately he doesn't like short, fat loud, obnoxious men so i will be forever safe. after 24 years we are still best friends and he is as much a family member to me as my own relatives. however i know a whole bunch of men i would never trust around my grandchildren & great nieces & great nephews and they are so called christians that straight. anyone found of actually sexually assaulting another should be penalized to the fullest extent of the law.
1. How is this 'news'?
2. Only 19000? I bet it's more.
3. This is what happens when you look the other way and think only good things can happen.
I'm guessing these weren't Gay men raping these women!!!
junkhead, it's just like the "straight" men that molest little boys. as long as they go to church & work and put on a show, they can't be the horrible perverts they really are. remember folks, most men, gay or straight and most military personnel, gay or straight, are not committing these immoral acts. there is always a tiny majority of people in any group that commit these horrendous acts. ex... abu graib, the 4 morons urinating on corpses + their cameraman, jim baker, ect ...
Yeah...but they'll somehow get blamed.
The jerk who dissed the Marines recently is only guessing that the actual is six times higher. If correct bet it's still likely a lower rate than for liberal universities (after omitting good colleges ala. )
LIKE that great liberal university of PENN STATE ??? hardly liberal franko ...
Repost
replace Dot with a period
The jerk who dissed the Marines recently is only guessing that the actual is six times higher. If correct bet it's still likely a lower rate than for liberal universities (after omitting good colleges ala.
www.DOTyafDOTorg/topconservativecolleges.aspx )
So sexual assaults in the military are going up under the Obama Administration and NOW is still supporting him?
Oh yeah, Obama is the reason more rapes are occurring.... geeezzzz. Think much?
Obama's now An Indo-Kenyan-Muslim-Socialist-Terrorist-Rapist. Just when I think it can get any more stupid.
Has it ever occurred to you, and your ilk, that Obama's simply a man. A man with two daughters, who's human, and flawed, and everything else, just like you??? He's no more the boogieman or responsible for this than you are. It's a problem WE, as in WE AS A SOCIETY, have.
Get over Obama, already.
You know what folks? Just about everything that you read on MSN is a colossal pile of ca ca.
Funny. The Republiclowns and bible beaters are so dead set against gays in the military that the specter of our female soldiers getting raped and assualted by their own comrades is largely ignored. And there are some responding to this with comments that make me think they have their heads stuck up their as...in the sand. This has been ignored long enough. Why do the idiots respond like it's an attack against the military? It's an attack against the rapists in the military. It's not something that should be expected. It's not something a female deserves because she wants to serve her country. I truly believe that rapists, sexual predators, molesters, all need severe punisnment for their crimes. Leavenworth is a good place for soldiers who can't keep their guns holstered.
Bill,
One of the best posts on here. And we wonder why this occurrs? Maybe because we have a bunch of jack-holes on news vines, spouting off about women in the military, instead of calling for accountability.
We can't see the forrest for the trees, and all that.
Thank you for your post.
Yes, send them ALL off to Leavenworth, and make sure their punishment is VERY severe! Perhaps a weekly thorough caning or flogging while there for 60 to 80 years would be appropriate.
Yep, this is why you don't hire military people.
A bigger problem is Domestic violence. Soldiers that beat their kids and spouses. It is not even on the radar for the Army. They don't track it, there are no programs to deal with it. The Army doesn't even acknowledge it exists in the military. You look at all the required annual training in the Army and Domestic violence is not one of the classes. Suicide prevention is one, human trafficking is one, even accident avoidance is one. But nothing for Domestic violence.