PoliticsPoliticssexual assaultpresident barack obama

Obama To Meet With Military Leaders About Sexual Assault

Obama To Meet With Military Leaders About Sexual Assault
Reuters
|

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other leaders of the U.S. military on Thursday to discuss their efforts to stop sexual assaults in the armed forces, a White House spokeswoman said.

On Tuesday, the military said another one of its advocates for victims of sexual assault was himself being accused of sex crimes, including allegations linking him to prostitution.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, the president's top uniformed military adviser, will attend the meeting with Obama.

"This afternoon the president will meet with Secretary Hagel, Chairman Dempsey and the service secretaries, service chiefs, and senior enlisted advisors to discuss sexual assault in the military," the spokeswoman said.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon released its 2012 annual report on sexual assault in the military, which showed a 37- percent jump in estimated sex crimes to 26,000.

That report came a day after the officer in charge of the Air Force sexual assault prevention office was charged with groping a woman while drunk in a parking lot not far from the Pentagon. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

The Faces Of Military Sexual Assault
'Full Battle Rattle'(01 of27)
Open Image Modal
Rebekah Havrilla, out on patrol in Afghanistan. The former Army sergeant and Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist enlisted in 2004, seeking out job training, education, "some patriotic element" after 9/11 and a way out of South Carolina."I went in with the idea of making a career out of it," she says. "I thought, I can't be Special Forces, I can't do Rangers because I don't have a penis -- closest thing I can get to actually doing that type of job is EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal]." (credit:Rebekah Havrilla)
Shot Hole(02 of27)
Open Image Modal
Havrilla crouches in the remnants of a "demolition shot" she and her team did of a "bunch of captured enemy munitions" outside of Forward Operating Base Gardez, in Afghanistan."It's a very male dominated, hypermasculine environment, so you've got to be the tomboy, kind of, 'let's play cowboys and indians. And soldiers,'" she says. But to some, this also meant persistent sexual harassment and even assault. (credit:Rebekah Havrilla)
Rebekah Havrilla(03 of27)
Open Image Modal
Havrilla says intense nightmares kept her from sleep, night after night, after she got back from Afghanistan -- until recently, when she moved to New York. Though Havrilla says that at first she suffered from the kind of hyper-vigilance described by fellow combat veterans in urban settings, she loves the city -- namely because it is so different than where she grew up, in a conservative Christian family in rural South Carolina.She is getting her Masters and working for the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN). (credit:Rebekah Havrilla)
Tia Christopher(04 of27)
Open Image Modal
An early photo of Tia Christopher, who joined the Navy at age 18 in 2000 and was out just under a year later, honorably discharged with a "personality disorder." (credit:Tia Christopher)
Women Veterans(05 of27)
Open Image Modal
Tia Christopher and her friend Aston Tedford at a women veterans retreat in Arizona several years ago. Christopher now works as an advocate for veterans, in particular victims of MSA, and has written guidance on the subject. (credit:Tia Christopher)
Jungle(06 of27)
Open Image Modal
Tia Christopher in a favorite photo. (credit:Tia Christopher)
'I'm Beautiful Despite The Flames'(07 of27)
Open Image Modal
Tia Christopher sent this photo of her recently completed tattoo Friday, Sept. 28. Written in Arabic, she says "her motto" -- which covers scars from her assault -- more literally translates: "Despite the flames that devoured my flesh, I am still beautiful." (credit:Tia Christopher)
Tia Christopher(08 of27)
Open Image Modal
(credit:Tia Christopher)
Balloons(09 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo in a childhood photo. (credit:Claire Russo)
Claire & Coconut(10 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo pictured at 10 years old, in 1989 with "Coconut." Russo grew up near Washington, D.C., and worked on the Hill."I was sort of -- well no, a really privileged middle-class kid," she says. "I was just fascinated with the debate, and the decisions the government was making … And I remember a very strong desire to serve." (credit:Claire Russo)
Claire Russo Salutes Her Cousin(11 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo in 2004 at Quantico, right after being commissioned, saluting her cousin Tom Winkle, a Navy lieutenant and pilot. Russo lived with Winkle in San Diego, and was with him the night of her assault, at the Marine Corps Ball. It was Winkle that reported Russo's assault; she did not want to report, being afraid for her career. (credit:Claire Russo)
Basic School(12 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo (right) with her roommate at The Basic School in Quantico, Va., after finishing a field exercise. Russo says that one of the 30 females in the class of 180 was raped in the barracks while she was at The Basic School. (credit:Claire Russo)
Fallujah Courtyard(13 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo in a courtyard in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006, when she served as the targeting officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. She deployed two weeks after testifying at the discharge hearing of the serviceman who raped her, Douglas Alan Dowson -- he was already in prison. (credit:Claire Russo)
'Citizen Of Courage'(14 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo (front) salutes the flag during the national anthem, before she was given the "Citizen of Courage" award from the San Diego District Attorney's office in 2006. Behind her is San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and First Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF) Commanding General John Sattler, who Russo says is the "only commander to ever apologize to me for what I experienced." (credit:Claire Russo)
Russo And San Diego DAs(15 of27)
Open Image Modal
Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means, Claire Russo and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, after Russo received the "Citizens of Courage" award from the San Diego District Attorney's office at Camp Pendleton in 2006. (credit:Claire Russo)
Down The Aisle(16 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo at her wedding to Josh Russo. Lt. Josh Russo was stationed at Camp Pendleton, some 40 miles north, at the time of Russo's assault in 2004. He remains in the military. (credit:Claire Russo)
Claire And Josh Russo(17 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire and Josh Russo on their wedding day, with friends from the Marines. (credit:Claire Russo)
Russo And Her Motorcycle(18 of27)
Open Image Modal
"Me on my Russian Minsk 120 cc dirt bike, in Laos. This was one day on an 8 month trip/honeymoon Josh and I took. We rode motorcylces through SE Asia, Australia and went to Africa," Russo describes in a recent email. (credit:Claire Russo)
'Marawara'(19 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, on a mission with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Army Paratroopers."I spoke with the district governor that day about how we could help to get a woman working for the Ministry of Womens Affairs working in his district," Russo writes. (credit:Claire Russo)
Claire, Josh And Genevieve Russo In Paris(20 of27)
Open Image Modal
Claire Russo and her husband, Josh Russo, and their baby Genevieve, here four weeks old, in Paris. Josh serves in the U.S. Army. (credit:Claire Russo)
St. Genevieve(21 of27)
Open Image Modal
"My 4 week old daughter Genevieve and I in front of a painting of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, who saved the city from the Huns," Russo writes. (credit:Claire Russo)
Marti Ribeiro In Front Of Village(22 of27)
Open Image Modal
Marti Ribeiro served with the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines over eight years as a combat correspondent. (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
Interviewing(23 of27)
Open Image Modal
As a combat correspondent, Marti Ribeiro accompanied medical convoys to remote areas without local doctors. Such clinics were set up in specific locations, so the locals needed significant advance warning of their arrival.When one such convoy came under attack, Ribeiro returned fire, earning her a Combat Action Badge, though as a female, she officially should not have been in a position to take fire. (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
'Afghan Girls On Rooftop'(24 of27)
Open Image Modal
A photograph of Afghan girls, taken by Marti Ribeiro during her deployment. (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
Ribeiro In 2006(25 of27)
Open Image Modal
Marti Ribeiro and an Afghan boy in 2006. (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
'Soaked To The Bone And Miserable'(26 of27)
Open Image Modal
Marti Ribeiro titles this photo -- taken in Afghanistan in 2006 -- as "soaked to the bone and miserable." (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
Marti Ribeiro And Her Daughter Bela(27 of27)
Open Image Modal
Marti Ribeiro and her daughter, Bela, in San Antonio, Texas. (credit:Marti Ribeiro)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip