Army General On Sexual Assault: ‘Maybe We Have A Bigger Problem Than I Imagined’

[Tx4obama]

Army General On Sexual Assault: ‘Maybe We Have A Bigger Problem Than I Imagined’

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno declined to comment about a bungled sexual assault investigation on Friday, but he did acknowledge that top brass is coming around to the gravity of the situation in the nation's armed forces.

“The amount of reports that are now coming out — people willing to go public, which I think is a good thing — has brought this to a head for me,” he told reporters at Army’s sixth annual Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention summit at Joint Base Andrews, Md. “Maybe we have a bigger problem than I imagined.”

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/army-general-on-sexual-assault-maybe-we-have?ref=fpb

Army brass gathers to address sexual assaults

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — Nearly every soldier who wears two or more stars gathered near Washington on Monday to rally around the idea that fighting sexual assault is priority No. 1 from the top to the bottom of the Army.

Some 250 generals and top noncommissioned officers attended the Army’s sixth annual Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention summit at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for sessions that included emotional talks by servicemembers about their own experiences of sexual assault.

This year’s conference takes place amid a deepening scandal over military sexual assault, with a recent Pentagon report indicating incidences of unwanted sexual contact rose sharply from 2011 to 2012. It may also carry added resonance for commanders because one of their own, Maj. Gen. Michael T. Harrison, commander of Army forces in Japan, was suspended Friday by Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno for allegedly failing to properly investigate a sexual assault complaint.

Odierno would not discuss Harrison with reporters Friday, but suggested that some Army leaders haven’t seen the sexual assault problem clearly as it built in intensity.

-snip-

FULL article here: http://www.stripes.com/news/army-brass-gathers-to-address-sexual-assaults-1.225218

The news above is about the ARMY. Some good news about the AIR FORCE below...

Air Force Names Woman To Head Sexual Assault Prevention
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022982070

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Ya think?

About time the clue bird pooped on his hat.

[niyad]

2. hey, odious--what the HELL do you think we have been trying to tell you for YEARS????

[DURHAM D]

3. Fuck 'em all.

Get it out of the chain of command.

[lastlib]

4. "the Army’s sixth annual Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention summit"

sixth annual Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention summit....They've had SIX of these summits, and they're just now figuring out that they have a problem??!? . . WTF were they doing at the first FIVE???

[Fumesucker]

5. I think they were combined with Tailhook conventions

Party down boys..

[lpbk2713]

6. Who hit him upside the head with a two by four?

He's having a frickin epiphany.

[Tx4obama]

7. Maybe Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill?

Gillibrand (May 2013 hearing)

McCaskill (May 2013 hearing)

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017117273

I can't remember if he was there that day or not

Edited to add...

Odierno was at the hearing on June 4th for sure, photo: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sen-kirsten-gillibrand-shakes-hands-with-chief-of-staff-of-news-photo/169914703

A news clip from June 4th below:

[lpbk2713]

9. It looks like it worked.

[mythology]

8. While it would have been better if they had figured this out sooner

I'm still glad that it's sinking in. Progress can be painfully slow sometimes, but it sure beats not progressing at all.