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.

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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

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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."

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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.

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