House Armed Services Committee Discusses Problem of Sexual Assault and Rape
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On February 16, the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing to discuss the problem of sexual violence in the military along with the military rape litigation. Read the transcript below between Representative Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Representative Mike Turner (R-OH), Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen.
HEARING OF THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE; SUBJECT: THE FISCAL YEAR 2012
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BUDGET REQUEST; CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD MCKEON
(R-CA); WITNESSES: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES; AND ADMIRAL MICHAEL MULLEN
(USN), CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF; LOCATION: ROOM 2118 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE
REPRESENTATIVE SILVESTRE REYES (D-TX): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Gentlemen, welcome. And thank you for your service. Let me add my concern to the issue of the reductions in end strength for both the Army and the Marines, given some of the challenges that we know we’re going to have in the next few years in the Horn of Africa and other areas. So I do hope we’re careful with those reductions, because in the final analysis, the ones that pay the price are the servicemen and – women and their families in — most recently we’ve learned over the last eight years that in activating and using the reserve forces, a lot of unintended negative consequences impacted those families. So I also want to urge caution there. The other concern that I have is, yesterday it became a national story about a lawsuit filed by former veteran women that are alleging what I think is a hostile work environment and sexual harassment and other things. I know you’re probably not in a position to comment on that, Mr. Secretary, but I would like to work with your office to better understand exactly the circumstances that led to this lawsuit.
SEC. GATES: If I may, let me just say — and obviously, what I can say is limited by the fact of the lawsuit, but let me just say a couple of things, because this is a matter of grave concern, I suspect, to everybody in the room. First of all, I have zero tolerance for sexual assault. And I’ve worked with Chairman Mullen and the Joint Chiefs and the service secretaries to see if we’re doing all we can to prevent and respond to sexual assaults. I’ve had multiple meetings with the senior leadership of the department on this issue over the past four years, established four critical areas of departmental focus: reducing stigma associated with reporting, ensuring sufficient commander training, ensuring investigator training and resources, and ensuring trial
counsel training and resourcing. We’ve hired dozens more investigators, field instructors, prosecutors and lab examiners. We’ve spent close to $2 million over the last two years to train our prosecutors so that they’re better able to be successful. We have expanded the sexual assault response coordinator and victim advocates tenfold, from 300 to 3,000, and we now have those advocates at every base and installation in the world, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. The court martial percentages have increased from about 30 percent to 52 percent. So we are making headway. The fact is, we aren’t where we should be. It is a matter of grave concern. And we will keep working at it.
REP. REYES: Yes, sir.
ADM. MULLEN: Sir, I would certainly more than just echo what the secretary said in terms of zero tolerance. This has been an issue actually over the course of the last six or seven years. It has been an issue of great focus. And it is unacceptable that, you know, we haven’t gotten where we need to be on this. We know this is an extraordinarily difficult issue. And I know, both as a former service chief as well as knowing the current service chiefs, it’s an area of focus. It wasn’t that long ago it was a significant area both in the combat zone in Iraq. There still is enough anecdotal information coming out of both Iraq and particularly in Afghanistan to certainly be of concern. What the secretary said in terms of the investments in terms of improvements in education, focus on leadership, is exactly right. But we also have, I think — you know, we have — still have significant work to do. And the leadership is focused on that.
REP. TURNER: That would be excellent. The second thing I want to talk to you about is the issue of sexual assault. In my district, we had a woman, Maria Lauterbach, who was tragically murdered after making allegations of sexual assault. I’ve worked with Jane Harman and Representative Tsongas on provisions that we’ve gotten enacted over the past several years that address the issue of sexual assault. The New York Times article, in reporting the lawsuit that has been filed, identifies that the legislative accomplishments so far are modest. We actually had in this last National Defense Authorization Act provisions that went to the issue of sexual assault, one of which would have provided a mechanism for expedited consideration and priority for base transfers for those who have been subject to sexual assault, another providing privileged communication between a victim and an assigned victim advocate. All of those did not make it into the final bill. I just want to bring them to your attention and hope that we would have DOD’s support as we move to try to place those provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act this year. And then my third topic is NNSA. I’m the chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. One of the things that I’ve been concerned about with this continuing resolution process and then the upcoming fiscal year 2012 budget is that NNSA, being part of DOE, has not been recognized as really being part of the defense infrastructure, so when people talk about cutting everything that is non-security related, so many times they’re missed and actually subject to a cut. As we look to the importance of NNSA and the additional funding that they need to respond to supporting our nuclear infrastructure, I’d appreciate your comments on certainly both their importance, the importance of this funding, and also the characterization that should be made that NNSA is certainly part of our national security infrastructure and certainly does very important defense work.
SEC. GATES: Well, I would — I simply can endorse the last two statements. I mean, it is incredibly important. And it clearly is intimately tied to our national security and should be regarded as part of the security component.
ADM. MULLEN: Let me just add one point from a budgetary standing. In ’13 to ’16, we actually have some money in the defense budget, which on an annual basis will be transferred (in ?) NNSA. The desire was to emphasize the partnership between our two organizations. As the secretary said, they are very important to meeting our nuclear needs.
REP. TURNER: Excellent. Thank you both.
