President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he has “no tolerance” for sexual assault in the military, comments made in the wake of a new Pentagon report showing the instances of such crimes have spiked since 2010.
The president said he had spoken Tuesday with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to urge him to “exponentially step up” efforts to identify suspects in assaults, and aggressively prosecute those cases.
“The bottom line is: I have no tolerance for this,” Obama said at a press conference following his meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
“I expect consequences,” Obama added. “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.” NBC News
HIGHLIGHTS
Pentagon estimates of how many troops are sexually assaulted show the numbers increased by more than a third since 2010, from 19,300 servicemembers believed to be victims that year to 26,000 in 2012, according to a Defense Department survey to be released this week. USA TODAY
The findings, which the Pentagon acknowledges, show that "sexual assault is a persistent problem and there is more work to be done," comes at a time when the focus on this abuse within the ranks is growing in intensity. The Air Force reported Monday that its chief sexual assault prevention officer was arrested over the weekend for allegedly groping a woman. USA TODAY
The Pentagon estimates the total number of sexual assaults based on an anonymous survey of service members. The data indicate that most victims do not report the crime to their superiors. The Hill
The 2010 survey, for instance, estimated that 86 percent of sexual assaults went unreported, which the military says is similar to the rate for civilian sexual assault crimes. The Hill
The Pentagon has come under fire for the way it handles sexual assault in the ranks. The Hill
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