Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is calling for a review of a viral video describing sexual harassment in which a female soldier said the failed system is the reason why women in the military commit suicide.
“I found the video deeply disturbing,” Austin told reporters after a long pause during his press debut as secretary on Friday.
In the video, a teary-eyed woman in a Marine Corps shirt describes how the commanding general allegedly overrode an admission of guilt to retain a sexual assault perpetrator.
“This is exactly why f—ing females f—ing kill themselves. This is exactly why nobody f—ing takes us seriously,” the woman said in a TikTok video posted after facing her perpetrator in court, expecting that he would be honorably discharged.
“I take this issue of sexual assault very, very seriously,” Austin said, reiterating comments made during his Jan. 19 nomination hearing, when he vowed to address sexual assault and harassment in the military.
So far, the secretary said the Pentagon is working to gather data, but he promised actions to address sexual assault and harassment in short order.
“We have been working at this for a long time in earnest, but we haven’t gotten it right,” Austin admitted.
Marine Corps Capt. Angelica Sposato at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, said the separation process for the accused perpetrator is ongoing.
“This video specifically refers to an allegation of misconduct regarding the wrongful appropriation and distribution of personal information,” a statement read.
A call to Camp Lejeune by the Washington Examiner did not immediately yield an explanation for the charge in question. The statement also said the Marine is safe.
“The Marine in the video is safe and has been afforded the opportunity to meet with senior representatives in her command,” the statement read.
Calls for a new system
New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand pressed Austin at his confirmation hearing on the issue of sexual assault and misconduct in the military, saying that the department had a record number of sexual assaults reported and the lowest conviction rate in 2020.
“We look at the facts, we look at the evidence, we look at how many sexual assaults are committed, how many go to trial, how many end in conviction, and we don’t seem to improve at all,” Gillibrand said at the time.
In her questioning, Gillibrand asked Austin to commit to moving prosecutorial decisions outside the chain of command and to trained military prosecutors.
Austin instead prevaricated.
“I would like to work with the chain of command and very rapidly assess what things there are that need to be fixed or addressed, and I’d like to make those recommendations and provide those assessments to the president-elect,” Austin said prior to his confirmation.
Shortly after Austin’s Friday comments, the Marine Corps posted a tweet saying it was aware of the video of the “Marine in distress.”
We are aware of the video of the Marine in distress. The Marine Corps takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. The Marine’s command @iimefmarines has taken action to ensure the Marine is safe.
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) February 19, 2021
“The Marine Corps takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the Marine Corps tweeted, noting that the command had taken action to ensure the Marine is safe.
The Marine Corps referred questions to the II Marine Expeditionary Force Communication Strategy and Operations Team in Camp Lejeune, but it did not immediately respond to an email question or pick up calls to two numbers.
Asked what message he would deliver to the commanding general in question, Austin demurred.
“We want to make sure that I preserve my ability to adjudicate or take action or whatever needs to happen,” Austin said. “First things first, we have to get the facts.”
