Another Major Sexual Assault Case In The U.S. Military

Army Sergeant Assigned To Sex-Abuse Prevention Being Investigated For Pimping, Sexual Assault -- NBC

Just a week after an Air Force lieutenant colonel working in its sexual-assault prevention office was arrested and accused of sexual battery, a second U.S. service member assigned to a military sexual assault program is being investigated for various forms of sexual misconduct, officials revealed Tuesday.

A U.S. Army sergeant first class, assigned to III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, is now under investigation for pandering — a prostitution solicitation charge — abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates, the Pentagon said.

A Defense Department source told NBC News the publicly unidentified soldier allegedly forced at least one subordinate soldier into prostitution and sexually assaulted two others.

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More News On Another Soldier Responsible For Sex-Abuse Prevention Now Under Investigation For A Sexual Assault

Assault Prevention NCO Investigated for Sex Crimes -- Military.com
Military sexual assault: Another prevention coordinator investigated -- MSNBC
Army Sergeant Is Accused of Sexual Abuse -- New York Times
Soldier in Sexual Assault Office Accused of Abuse -- US News and World Report
Army sergeant who watchdogs sex assault cases now accused of sex crimes -- Washington Times
Soldier Who Led Sex-Abuse Prevention Under Investigation -- Bloomberg
Army sexual assault watchdog accused of “abusive sexual contact” -- Salon
Army Coordinator at Sexual Assault Prevention Office Accused of "Abusive Sexual Contact" -- The Atlantic
Lawmakers outraged over another military sex case -- Star Telegram
Army continues to aggressively push sexual assault prevention, response efforts -- Army.mil
Hagel orders retraining of sex-assault prevention officers; Army sergeant investigated -- Washington Post
Can the military solve its sexual assault crisis? -- Peter Weber, The Week

My Comment: It does not take a rocket scientist to see that the system is broken.

Among Reports On The Rise Of Sexual Assaults In The U.S. Military Are Reports That False Complaints Of Sexual Abuse Are On The Rise

False Reports Outpace Sex Assaults In The Military -- Washington Times

False complaints of sexual abuse in the military are rising at a faster rate than overall reports of sexual assault, a trend that could harm combat readiness, analysts say.

Virtually all media attention on a Pentagon report last week focused on an increase in service members’ claims of sexual abuse in an anonymous survey, but unmentioned were statistics showing that a significant percentage of such actually investigated cases were baseless.

From 2009 to 2012, the number of sexual abuse reports rose from 3,244 to 3,374 — a 4 percent increase.

During the same period, the number of what the Pentagon calls “unfounded allegations” based on completed investigations of those reports rose from 331 to 444 — a 35 percent increase.

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My Comment: The main stream media is focused (and justifiably so) on the rise of sexual assaults in the U.S. military. But with the exception of the Washington Times, they are choosing to ignore the rash of false reports. I guess there is some truth to the talk that the U.S. military now needs professionals to handle the sexual assaults within the ranks.

Is The 'Hookup Culture' Responsible For The Increase In U.S. Military Rapes?

Air Force General Blames Increase in Military Rape on Hookup Culture -- Daily Beast

Is an uptick in military sex assault just due to our hookup culture? That’s what an Air Force general said on Capitol Hill Tuesday, testimony Senator Gillibrand tells Eleanor Clift is ‘outrageous.’

If it was possible to make a bad situation worse, that’s what Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh managed to do at a Senate hearing Tuesday morning when he blamed an increase in sexual assault in the military on the “hookup” culture prevalent among young people. Welsh said 20 percent of female recruits report being assaulted before they joined the military. “They come in from a society where this occurs,” he said.

Not only did Welsh’s remark seem to place blame on the victim, it also revealed a tendency to view sexual assault in the most benign way, as a date gone bad or a breakdown in communications rather than a violent act. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the first woman to chair the personnel subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, told The Daily Beast it was “outrageous testimony” that showed a fundamental misunderstanding about the violent nature of sexual assault.

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Update: Air Force General Mark Welsh Blames 'Hookup Mentality' for Rapes in Military -- Opposing View

My Comment: A horrible choice of words, and if the General is smart .... he should apologize and retract this statement. Eleanor Clift .... a person that I disagree with almost all of the time .... is right when she says .... What the military has to confront is criminality, not a hookup culture.

The Growing Epidemic Of Sexual Assaults In The U.S. Military

Defense Secretary Worries Sexual Assault In Military Nearing A Tipping Point -- Christian Science Monitor

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says that sexual assault allegations in the military are so alarming that they could hurt the Pentagon's ability to recruit and retain 'the good people we need.' Critics are pushing for reform.

Calls to change how the US military justice system prosecutes those accused of sexual assault grew increasingly robust as lawmakers vowed to create a minimum punishment for US troops convicted of the crime.

The calls come in the wake of revelations Monday that the US Air Force officer in charge of the service’s sexual assault prevention program had himself been arrested and charged with sexual assault.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he was “outraged and disgusted” by the allegations, and warned that the Pentagon “may be nearing a stage where the frequency of this crime and the perception that there is tolerance of it could very well undermine our ability to effectively carry out the mission to recruit and retain the good people we need.”

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More News On The U.S. Military's Sexual Assault Crisis

Hagel: Sexual Assault Report Shows Armed Forces 'Need Cultural Change' -- ABC News
Lawmakers act fast with new legislation on military sexual assault -- Air Force Times
Lawmakers demand military leaders curb sex assaults -- Reuters
Congress turns attention to sexual assault in the military -- Washington Post
Military Courts Are Called Outdated on Sex Crimes -- New York Times
New figures show sexual assault in the U.S. military is on the rise -- CBS
Military Sex Assaults Rising 35% Bring Calls to Revamp System -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Sexual Assault In Military Raise Alarm In Washington -- New York Times
500 Military Sexual Assault Cases A Week: Our View -- USA Today
Pentagon report shows big jump in sex crimes in military -- Reuters
Obama scolds military over sexual assaults -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy
Obama: Sexual Assault in Military an Outrage -- Voice of America
Obama calls for military to do more to combat sexual assaults -- L.A. Times
Obama urges prosecution, courts-martial for sexual assaults in military -- Miami Herald
Obama warns on US military sexual assaults -- BBC
Obama to Military Sexual Assault Victims: ‘I’ve Got Your Backs’ -- US Department of Defense
The U.S. military's growing sexual assault problem -- The Week
Military injustice -- Baltimore Sun editorial
Sexual assaults stain the U.S. military -- Kansas City Star editorial
Because they can: Three rapes every hour in the military -- Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Washington Post

500 U.S. Military Sexual Assault Cases A Week

Military Sexual Assaults Skyrocket As Hagel Announces New Plan of Attack -- US News and World Report

New report comes less than 24 hours after senior sexual assault prevention officer arrested for sexual assault

America's top defense official announced Tuesday a new plan to combat sexual assaults in the U.S. military, saying reports of improper sexual contact by troops have increased more than 35 percent in the last two years.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's press conference on the "FY2012 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military" came less than 24 hours after the Air Force's head of sexual assault prevention was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a parking lot near the Pentagon.

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More News On The Rise Of Sexual Assaults In The U.S. Military

New figures show sexual assault in the U.S. military is on the rise -- CBS
Military Sex Assaults Rising 35% Bring Calls to Revamp System -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Sexual Assault In Military Raise Alarm In Washington -- New York Times
500 Military Sexual Assault Cases A Week: Our View -- USA Today
Pentagon report shows big jump in sex crimes in military -- Reuters
Obama scolds military over sexual assaults -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy
Obama: Sexual Assault in Military an Outrage -- Voice of America
Obama calls for military to do more to combat sexual assaults -- L.A. Times
Obama urges prosecution, courts-martial for sexual assaults in military -- Miami Herald
Obama warns on US military sexual assaults -- BBC
Obama to Military Sexual Assault Victims: ‘I’ve Got Your Backs’ -- US Department of Defense
The U.S. military's growing sexual assault problem -- The Week

US Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention Chief Charged With Sexual Battery

Air Force Chief of Sexual-Assault Prevention Arrested on Sexual Battery Charges -- Danger Room

How serious is the Air Force’s sexual assault epidemic? Yesterday, police in northern Virginia arrested the Air Force’s chief of sexual-assault prevention — for sexual assault.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was “arrested and charged with sexual battery,” according to the Arlington, Virginia police department. According to the arrest report, Krusinski drunkenly “approached a female victim in a parking lot and grabbed her breasts and buttocks.”

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More News On The USAF Sexual Assault Prevention Chief Charged With Sexual Battery

USAF sexual assault prevention chief charged with sexual battery -- Air Force Times
Hagel 'Outraged' Over AF Sexual Assault Arrest -- Military.com
Air Force sex assault prevention chief charged in sex assault -- Stars and Stripes
US Air Force officer in charge of rape prevention arrested -- AFP
Head of Air Force's anti-sexual assault unit arrested for sexual battery -- Reuters
Airman who led sex assault unit charged in groping -- AP
Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention Officer Charged With Sexual Battery -- ABC News
Air Force's sex-abuse prevention honcho charged with sexual battery -- NBC
Air Force's sexual assault prevention chief arrested for sexual assault -- CBS

US Fighter Pilot's Overturned Sex Assault Conviction Continues To Spark Controversy

Photo: Lt. Col. James Wilkerson. US Air Force

Convicted Of Sex Assault - Then Cleared - Fighter Pilot Sparks Protest At Tucson Base -- NBC

The family of a woman who accused a U.S. fighter pilot of rape spoke at protest Thursday outside the Tucson Air Force base where that airman recently was transferred after his military conviction was erased, his prison sentence voided and his discharge overturned.

The brother of Kim Hanks said the family came to “voice outrage at the military’s betrayal of our sister” and he questioned why Air Force commanders chose to send Wilkerson to Tucson where much of Hanks’ family resides.

Kim Hanks reported that Lt. Col. James Wilkerson assaulted her in March 2012 at his former home on the Aviano Air Base In Italy.

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More News On Protests Over Lt. Col. James Wilkerson's Overturned Sex Assault Conviction

Protesters rally against Air Force officer's transfer after sex assault conviction overturned -- FOX News/AP
The Sexual Assault Case That Has The Pentagon Scrambling Just Took A Surprising Twist -- Business Insider
Family upset over Air Force officer's transfer -- US News and World Report/AP
Woman who accused military officer of sexual assault stunned by reversal of his conviction -- FOX News/AP
Group seeks firing of 3-star who overturned sex assault conviction -- Military Times
McCaskill puts hold on Air Force officer’s promotion over overturned conviction -- Washington Post
A call to fire general in sexual-assault dismissal -- Politico

Should This Air Force Pilot's Sex Assault Conviction Been Overturned?

Lt. Col. James Wilkerson speaks as the then 20th Fighter Wing chief of safety at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Aug. 11, 2008. Henry Hoegen/U.S. Air Force

Air Force Pilot's Sex Assault Dismissal Sparks Cries For Reform -- Stars and Stripes

An Air Force general’s decision to overturn a jury’s guilty verdict and reinstate a fighter pilot convicted of sexual assault could prove to be a lightning rod in efforts to legislatively strip commanders of their long-held authority in sexual assault cases, victims’ advocates say.

Third Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin’s decision to reinstate Lt. Col. James Wilkerson was a stunning example of structural problems in an outdated military justice system rife with bias that discounts victims while emboldening offenders, advocates said.

“It’s really shocking,” Susan Burke, a lawyer who represents numerous military women in lawsuits against the Defense Department, said of the case.

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My Comment: An all male jury convicted him .... but the commander overruled it anyway. If the jury was split .... I understand .... but this .... this I do not understand. Expect a lot of blow-back and calls for reform from this decision.

U.S. Air Force Appalled By The Number Of Sex Assaults In The Service

Air Force General Calls Widespread Sex Assaults Within Service Ranks A 'Cancer' -- Daily Mail

* There were nearly 800 reports of sexual assault cases, ranging from inappropriate touching to rape in 2012
* Dozens of female recruits at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio say they were sexually harassed by instructors

Likening sexual assault in the Air Force's ranks to a cancer, the service's top officer resolved Wednesday to tackle the problem by screening personnel more carefully and putting an end to bad behaviors like binge drinking that can lead to misconduct.

But Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, underscored the challenge by telling a House oversight committee that the service recorded a disturbing number of reports of sexual assault last year even as it worked to curb misconduct in the wake of a sex scandal at its training headquarters in Texas.

Dozens of young female recruits and airmen at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio were victimized by their instructors who sexually harassed, improperly touched or raped them.

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More News On The U.S. Air Force's Report On Sexual Assaults For 2012

Air Force Officials Aim to Eliminate Sexual Assault -- US Department of Defense
Air Force Aims To Root Out Sexual Harassment -- Wall Street Journal
Air Force’s top officer tells lawmakers reports of sexual assaults within service grew in 2012 -- Washington Post/AP
Air Force general calls sex assault within service a cancer: 'I will never stop attacking this problem' -- New York Daily News/AP
Scope of U.S. Air Force sexual assault case "stunning:" general -- Reuters
Air Force officials testify about sexual assaults -- Washington Times
Air Force calls number of sex assaults 'appalling' -- FOX News/AP
Air Force Chief Calls Sex Misconduct a ‘Cancer’ -- ABC News
General admits failure in Lackland sex scandal; 32 alleged culprits -- L.A. Times
USAF chief, brass to review sex assaults -- UPI
Air Force appalled by the number of sex assaults -- RT
Air Force chief says sexual assaults are a 'cancer' to be stopped -- Government Executive
Air Force defends handling of sex scandal -- L.A. Times
How the Air Force is fighting sexual assault, post-Lackland scandal -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor
Little has changed since Tailhook, based on Lackland scandal testimony -- Joyce Tsai,
Stars and Stripes

Pentagon's Policy On Women In Combat Proceeds Despite Reports That Show An Increase In Sexual Assaults Among The Troops

(U.S. Army photo)

Pentagon Undeterred By Sex Scandals; Policy On Women Proceeds -- Washington Times

The Pentagon is pushing ahead with its campaign to move women closer to the battlefield, despite a series of sex scandals involving senior officers and a report showing an increase in sexual assaults among the troops.

At the dawn of the all-volunteer military force in 1973, women accounted for less than 3 percent of active-duty and reserve members. Today, 310,000 women make up about 15 percent of the force. In and around the Afghanistan War are nearly 17,000 women in uniform.

With the influx has come increasingly close contact between men and women — and a sharp rise in sexual misconduct. Militarywide, sexual assaults are up 22 percent since 2007, according to a Pentagon report.

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My Comment: With recent studies that are now showing that almost a quarter of U.S. female troops become victims of sex assaults in combat zones you would think that the Pentagon would maybe stop and reconsider .... but it appears that they are not. There are some who are hoping that the culture can change .... I wish them luck.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair Facing Multiple Sex Abuse Crimes

Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, left, currently facing a court-martial for charges including “forced sodomy,” meets with Afghan leaders at Kandahar Air Field, November 2011. Photo: DVIDS

High-Ranking Army General 'Committed Sex Crimes Against Five Women And Threatened Their Lives If They Exposed Him' -- Daily Mail

* Jeffrey Sinclair is facing charges that include forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct and engaging in inappropriate relationships
* Prosecutor say Sinclair threatened one victim's life, as well as her career and the lives of her relatives if she exposed him
* Sinclair has been in the Army for 27 years and served in first Gulf War

A high-ranking Army general forced women to have sex with him during combat tours and threatened at least one victim's life, as well as her career and the lives of her relatives if she told anyone about his actions, U.S. Army prosecutors said in a hearing Monday.

Prosecutors allege that Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair committed sex crimes against five women including four military subordinates and civilian.

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More News On U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair Facing Multiple Sex Abuse Crimes

Secrecy Lifts on General Charged With Sex Abuse -- Danger Room
Prosecutors Allege 5 Women in General's Sex Crimes -- ABC News/AP
Army general charged with sex abuse -- UPI
1-star charged with sex crimes appears in court -- Navy Times

U.S. Military Sexual Assault Epidemic Continues

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Military Sexual Assault Epidemic Continues To Claim Victims As Defense Department Fails Females -- Huffington Post

NEW YORK -- On an isolated hilltop outpost overlooking a town in Eastern Afghanistan in spring 2007, a cell phone rang.

If the phone -- a detonation device -- had been properly wired, Rebekah Havrilla and her team leader would have been blown up along with a hill packed full of five landmines and an improvised explosive device.

"It just turned into one big, long 'holy crap, we almost died,'" said Havrilla, one of the few women in the U.S. Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal units.

(Editor's Note: This article contains graphic language that some readers may find offensive.)

But the routine perils of her job were not the reason Sgt. Havrilla "got the fuck out" of the military. She blames the unexpected risks, brought on by the same team leader who was with her on the hilltop, a sergeant 1st class who Havrilla says once, when they were on base, attacked her from behind, violently biting her neck. She said he would tell her, "I want to fuck you so badly right now." That she was later raped, by another colleague, was just the culmination of abuse, she said.

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My Comment: I have always been of the opinion that any sexual violence in a war zone should be treated as a war crime .... even when it involves soldiers of the same army. As to the DoD stats that are reported in this article .... my gut is telling me that this is just a fraction of what is actually happening right now.

U.S. Efforts To Stop Military Sexual Assaults Are Failing

Photo: Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. Anthony Sanchelli/Courtesy U.S. Air Force

Welsh: Efforts To Combat Military Sex Assaults Are Failing -- Stars And Stripes

WASHINGTON — Efforts to stop military sexual assaults are not working, and officials need to spur a culture change, the presumptive Air Force Chief of Staff told Congress on Thursday.

Gen. Mark Welsh III, during his confirmation hearing, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he is dismayed by continued reports of rapes and sexual assault, despite a focus in recent years on eliminating the problem.

“What we’ve been doing is not working,” he said. “We have to look differently at the problem. I think we’ve worked hard and made progress with victim care ... but we haven’t been able to stop the perpetrators.”

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My Comment: Like military suicides .... after spending tons of money and allocating even more human resources .... the problem is only getting bigger. Makes one realize that human behavior is not easy to quantify or understand.

Pentagon Proposes New Sexual Assault Rules For The Military

Left to right: U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak with reporters at the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., April 16, 2012. Panetta and Dempsey met with members of the House to discuss new measures to combat sexual assault in the military. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Panetta Proposes New Sexual Assault Rules For The Military -- New York Times

Under pressure from Congress and veterans advocates, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Monday announced new policies to combat sexual assault in the ranks. Most significantly, the secretary will require that all sexual assault complaints be handled by more senior officers — colonels or Navy captains — than the unit commanders who typically handle them now, a move expected to lead to more prosecutions.

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More News On New Sexual Assault Rules For The U.S. Military

Panetta, Dempsey Announce Initiatives to Stop Sexual Assault -- US Department of Defense
Panetta Calls for New Steps to Stop Assaults -- ABC/AP
Pentagon outlines plan to crack down on sexual assaults in US military -- Christian Science Monitor
Panetta touts 'zero tolerance' for sexual assault -- Stars and Stripes
Panetta announces new DoD sexual assault initiatives at Capitol Hill meeting -- The Hill
Panetta testifies on sex assault policy -- UPI
All services will set up sexual assault SVUs -- Army Times

Sexual Assaults In The U.S. Military Have Risen Slightly

Study: Sex Assault Complaints In Military Have Leveled Off In Past Three Years -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Reports of violent sexual crimes against U.S. troops have leveled off in the military since 2009, according to a new study released by the Pentagon on Friday.

In fiscal year 2011, 3,192 people reported sexual assault in the Department of Defense, amounting to roughly a 1% increase over the same period the year before. That number is slightly lower than the 3,230 reports made in 2009.

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More News On The "Leveling Off" Of Sex Assault Complaints In The U.S. Military

Sexual Assault in the Ranks Up 4% Last Year -- Time
DOD: Number of sex assault reports holds steady in 2011 -- Stars and Stripes
Slight rise in military sex assault cases -- Chicago Tribune
Reported sexual assaults in military rose slightly -- FOX News/AP
DoD leaders to brief lawmakers on sex assaults -- Marine Times
More sex crimes leading to court-martial -- Army Times
Panetta Vows to Continue Fighting Sexual Assault in Military -- US Department of Defense
DOD releases annual sexual assault report -- Examiner

CBS Reporter Lara Logan Recounts Her 'Merciless Assault' In Cairo

Lara Logan, a CBS News reporter, was sexually assaulted while working in Cairo on Feb. 11. Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

CBS Reporter Recounts a ‘Merciless’ Assault -- New York Times

Lara Logan thought she was going to die in Tahrir Square when she was sexually assaulted by a mob on the night that Hosni Mubarak’s government fell in Cairo.

Ms. Logan, a CBS News correspondent, was in the square preparing a report for “60 Minutes” on Feb. 11 when the celebratory mood suddenly turned threatening. She was ripped away from her producer and bodyguard by a group of men who tore at her clothes and groped and beat her body. “For an extended period of time, they raped me with their hands,” Ms. Logan said in an interview with The New York Times. She estimated that the attack involved 200 to 300 men.

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My Comment: Organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists as well as news organizations will need to update their procedures and protocols on how their reporters must cover wars and conflicts .... and if Lara Logan's experience can expedite this more quickly .... kudos to her for then talking about it.

3,158 Sexual Assaults Reported In The U.S. Military Last Year

Pentagon Reports Fall In Military Sexual Assaults...But Still Had 3,158 Last Year -- Daily Mail

Sexual assaults in the military declined slightly last year, the Pentagon announced today.

There were 3,158 reports of assaults ranging from rape to unwanted touching - a decrease of two per cent on 2009.

Incidents involved assaults on people in uniform by fellow military members and by civilians, according to the Defence Department's annual report

Figures show 4.4 percent of women on active duty and just under one percent of men reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact in the period up to last September.

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More News On Sexual Assaults In the U.S. Military

DOD Releases Sexual Assault Report -- U.S. Department of Defense
Report: 3,158 sexual assaults involving military in 2010 -- NBC
Exclusive: 1 in 5 Air Force women victim of sexual assault, survey finds -- Christian Science Monitor
Air Force officials focus on sexual assault prevention -- US Air Force
Pentagon better at responding to assaults -- UPI
Sexual assault of American women soldiers on the rise -- Sify

My Comment: My gut tells me that a number of these cases are not reported .... and as for the US Air Force report that 1 out of 5 Air Force women have been a victim of sexual assault .... that figure is absolutely appalling.

Lawsuit To Expose The Problem Of Rape In The U.S. Military

17 Veterans Sue Pentagon Over Rape Cases -- ABC News

15 Female and Two Male Veterans File Lawsuit Against Pentagon Officials, Claiming Sex Assault Cases Were Mishandled.

Fifteen female and two male veterans accused the military of ignoring reports of sexual abuse and rape by fellow service members in a federal class-action lawsuit filed today, hoping they will pressure the military to change the way sexual assault cases are handled.

"This is a story that only begins with rape and sexual trauma. It's a story about the failure of one of the most trusted institutions in American life -- our military," said Keith Rohman, president of Public Interest Investigations in Los Angeles, the lead investigators on the litigation.

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More News On 17 Veterans Filing Suit Against Pentagon Officials Over The Mishandling Of Sex Assault Cases

Pentagon Sued For Allegedly Mishandling Sexual Assault Complaints -- Voice of America
Lawsuit Says Military Is Rife With Sexual Abuse -- New York Times
US veterans say military fails in rape claim inquiries -- BBC
Veterans say rape cases mishandled -- AP
Lawsuit says military tolerates rape, assault -- Navy Times
U.S. veterans sue Pentagon 'after they were raped and sexually abused by comrades' -- The Daily Mail
Veterans say Pentagon mishandled rape cases -- Salon
U.S. veterans say rape cases mishandled -- CTV News
Veterans sue over sexual abuse -- Boston.com/AP
17 Victims Sue Pentagon Over 'Plague' of Sexual Violence -- Aol News
Veterans say rape cases mishandled -- Chicago Sun Times
More On The Sexual Assault And Rape Lawsuit Facing The Pentagon -- New Civil Rights Movement
Military Personnel Say Pentagon Ignores Sexual Assaults, Harassment (VIDEO) -- TPMMuckaker
Is the military turning blind eye to sexual assault? -- Yahoo News commentary

My Comment: Long time readers know that I have been posting on this topic for a very long time. This lawsuit is going to reveal how sexual assaults and rapes have reached epidemic proportions within the military .... I say good .... everything should be done to expose this travesty.

Why Is The U.S. Military Refusing To Release Sexual Abuse Records?

Military’s Refusal to Release Sexual Abuse Records Incites Lawsuit -- Justice News Flash

New Haven, CT—The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, along with the Service Women’s Action Network and Yale Law School students, filed a lawsuit against the departments of Defense and Veteran Affairs, claiming the Pentagon has declined to release records related to sexual assault, harassment and/or trauma in the military. According to a recent Associated Press report, the plaintiffs, who filed lawsuit in New Haven on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, want access to these so-called rape records so the severity of the issue at hand can be brought to light.

The lawsuit seeks to obtain records detailing the number of acquittals, convictions and sentences stemming from sexual assault cases. The plaintiffs also want to find out how many sexual harassment complaints were made and how many disability claims related to sexual trauma were accepted and rejected.

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More News On Sexual Violence In The Military

More sex assaults reported at military academies -- MSNBC
Number of Sexual Assaults Rise at Military Academies -- ABC News
Sex assaults up at U.S. service academies -- UPI
Military academies report a 64 percent increase in sexual assault reports -- Government Executive
Air Force Academy accounts for half of reported sex assaults at service academies -- Chicago Sun Times
UPDATE: Reported sex assaults increase sharply at Air Force Academy -- Colorado Springs Independent
Sex assault reports at Naval Academy increase slightly -- Baltimore Sun
Rape Victims Ask, Military Won't Tell on Crimes -- Ann Woolner, Bloomberg

Is The U.S. Defense Department Shielding Pedophiles?

Pentagon Declined To Investigate Hundreds Of Purchases Of Child Pornography -- Yahoo News/The Upshot

A 2006 Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation into the purchase of child pornography online turned up more than 250 civilian and military employees of the Defense Department -- including some with the highest available security clearance -- who used credit cards or PayPal to purchase images of children in sexual situations. But the Pentagon investigated only a handful of the cases, Defense Department records show.

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My Comment: Pentagon employees, military contractors, individuals with Top Secret credentials .... no one deserves a pass on such felony violations. Questions need to be answered .... and now.