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| US military ordered to recertify sexual assault prevention personnel | US military ordered to recertify sexual assault prevention personnel |
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| Defence secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify every person involved in programmes designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the Pentagon's control. | Defence secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify every person involved in programmes designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the Pentagon's control. |
| He said this step is one among many that will be taken to fix the problem of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within every branch of the military. | He said this step is one among many that will be taken to fix the problem of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within every branch of the military. |
| At a news conference with General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Hagel said he believes alcohol use is "a very big factor" in many sexual assault and sexual harassment cases, but there are many pieces to the problem. | At a news conference with General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Hagel said he believes alcohol use is "a very big factor" in many sexual assault and sexual harassment cases, but there are many pieces to the problem. |
| Hagel said it has become clear to him since taking office in February that holding people accountable for their actions is important, but simply firing people is not a solution. | Hagel said it has become clear to him since taking office in February that holding people accountable for their actions is important, but simply firing people is not a solution. |
| "Who are you going to fire?" he asked. | "Who are you going to fire?" he asked. |
| A catalyst for congressional outrage has been the disclosure in recent days of at least two cases in which a military member with responsibility for sexual assault prevention programs has himself been accused of sexual misconduct. | A catalyst for congressional outrage has been the disclosure in recent days of at least two cases in which a military member with responsibility for sexual assault prevention programs has himself been accused of sexual misconduct. |
| Earlier on Friday, the air force's top general said that sexual assaults in his branch of the military typically involve alcohol use and can be traced to a lack of respect for women. | Earlier on Friday, the air force's top general said that sexual assaults in his branch of the military typically involve alcohol use and can be traced to a lack of respect for women. |
| "We have a problem with respect for women that leads to many of the situations that result in sexual assault in our air force," General Mark Welsh told reporters in a lengthy interview in his Pentagon offices. | "We have a problem with respect for women that leads to many of the situations that result in sexual assault in our air force," General Mark Welsh told reporters in a lengthy interview in his Pentagon offices. |
| He spoke one day after he and other military leaders were summoned to the White House to discuss the sexual assault problem with US president Barack Obama, who has expressed impatience with the Pentagon's failure to solve it. Welsh said combatting the problem, which he characterized as a crisis, is his top priority as the air force chief of staff. He said he reviews every reported case of sexual assault; last year there were 792 in the air force. | He spoke one day after he and other military leaders were summoned to the White House to discuss the sexual assault problem with US president Barack Obama, who has expressed impatience with the Pentagon's failure to solve it. Welsh said combatting the problem, which he characterized as a crisis, is his top priority as the air force chief of staff. He said he reviews every reported case of sexual assault; last year there were 792 in the air force. |
| A Pentagon report last week estimated that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, based on survey results, out of 1.4 million in the services. | A Pentagon report last week estimated that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, based on survey results, out of 1.4 million in the services. |
| That report, and a recent series of arrests and other sexual assault problems across the military, have triggered a rush of initiatives from the Pentagon and proposed legislation in Congress. | That report, and a recent series of arrests and other sexual assault problems across the military, have triggered a rush of initiatives from the Pentagon and proposed legislation in Congress. |
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