It's been more than a year since an explosive investigation into digital revenge porn in the Marine Corps put sexual harassment in the United States armed forces back in the national spotlight. Now, the Pentagon seems poised for a true #MeToo moment.
Military personnel at all levels are taking actions to fight sexism and misogyny in the ranks. Reported military sexual assaults increased by 10 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to Department of Defense data, a jump that officials claim reflects more confidence in the military justice system. Further, a new measure attached to the defense appropriations bill currently working its way through Congress looks to better define (and punish) domestic violence within the ranks and afterwards. There have been some high-profile instances to reflect that cultural and bureaucratic shift: In April, a Marine Corps brigadier general was given the axe after dismissing the sexual harassment charges against him as "fake news; that same month, Secretary of Defense James Mattis ordered officers and commanders to "use their authority and force of personality to prevent" and eliminate the "cancer" of sexual assault within the ranks.
These are powerful actions. But there's another cancer brewing within the confines of the U.S. armed forces—and until it's dealt with, these efforts to combat military sexual assault won't amount to much.
[For more on this story by JARED KELLER, go to https://psmag.com/news/the-big...itary-justice-system]
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