DoD Preparing Sexual-Assault Report for Obama

Responding to an order from President Obama, the Defense Department is preparing a report on actions being taken to rid the ranks of sexual assault and harassment. “If I do not see the kind of progress I expect, then we will consider additional reforms that may be required to eliminate this crime from our military ranks and protect our brave service members who stand guard for us every day at home and around the world,” Obama said Dec 20. “Eliminating sexual assault in the military is one of the Department of Defense’s highest priorities,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Dec. 20. Hagel also cited steps he has requested to date that would improve prevention and response, and expressed support for a proposal included in the 2014 defense-spending bill that would remove certain aspects of sexual-assault oversight from the chain of command. The report is due on Obama’s desk in January 2015.