News
Changes to Sexual Assault Investigations
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
Article 32 hearings was one of the most significant changes involving how allegations of sexual offenses are investigated. Article 32 hearings are the military's version of grand jury proceedings. These changes were included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2014, which took effect December 26, 2014.
Exposing Untold Stories of Military Sexual Trauma
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The non-profit #NoLongerVictims (Confessions of a MST) is dedicated to raising awareness about military sexual trauma (MST). They are stringing untold sexual assault stories from 1975-2012 across a bridge in front of San Diego naval base. Some assaults happened while veterans were on deployment in Afghanistan or Bahrain.
Scripps Washington Bureau Wins Peabody Award for Military Sex Offender Series
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
In 2014, Scripps national correspondent Mark Greenblatt released his 10-part "Under the Radar" (http://www.scripps.com/undertheradar) investigative series. After reviewing more than 1,300 military courts-martial cases, he 'uncovered at least 242 convicted military rapists, child molesters, and other sex offenders who had slipped through what a member of the House Armed Services Committee called a "gaping loophole" in the system. The flaw allows sex offenders to stay off public sex offender registries when they leave the brig, freeing them to re-offend.'
Inside the Military Program That Put Women in Combat
Sunday, April 19, 2015 | Category: Combat - National
Ashley White, aka "Little White," is one of the Cultural Support Team (CST) women in Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's book, “Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield.” Lemmon chronicles this groundbreaking team's accomplishments and the history of shadow women warriors in the US military. On January 1, 2013, the official ban on women in combat was lifted. Female Cultural Support Teams in prior years were called "Field Engagement Teams" and "Lioness Teams." By January 1, 2016, the Special Forces will admit women or explain their exception request to the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who will make the final decision.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Opens Sex Assault Resource Center
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
A Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention Centeropened in January to house three advocates who guide victims through the process of reporting assaults or harassment.
Secretary of U.S. Air Force Weighs in on Sexual Assault Trend
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James along with assault victim Katie Koestner each pushed Air Force Academy cadets to speak out if they think they see something wrong.They hope to change, what they both admit, is a disturbing trend of abuse in the military.
Army Morale Low Despite 6-Year, $287M Optimism Program
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Category: United States Army - National
More than half of some 770,000 soldiers expressed pessimism about their future in the military. Nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.
Navy Officer Admits Taking Bribes; Eighth Defendant to Plead Guilty
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
A Navy officer admitted that he was given cash, hotel accommodations and the services of a prostitute in exchange for providing information about ship itineraries to the owner of a Singapore-based firm that provided in-port services.
One Man’s Fight Against Sexual Assault and the Culture That Enables It
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Russell Strand, the U.S. Army Military Police School’s behavioral sciences education and training division leader, equated the culture surrounding sexual assault as “giving aid and comfort to the enemy,” in a sexual assault awareness briefing on Camp Arifjan. Strand noted: “I’m sick and tired of hearing from all-male units that this is not a problem for them. It is."
Reporting still a problem in military sex assault cases
Monday, April 13, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
More service members are willing to report sexual assault. Some credit growing awareness as well as trust that the military will now respond.