Austin calls a video claiming that the military allowed the attacker to wear a ‘disturbing’ uniform

Austin calls a video claiming that the military allowed the attacker to wear a ‘disturbing’ uniform

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Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinOvernight Defense: Expanding NATO Troops in Iraq Suspended Army War College chief faces sexual misconduct defense Overnight: one-third of military personnel refuse coronavirus vaccine | Biden to take executive action in response to the Solar Winds hack | US and Japan reach cost-sharing agreement MORE on Friday, he directed a viral video in which a struggling Marine said a senior Marine Corps officer allowed a fellow Marine to remain in service after being sexually assaulted.

Austin, speaking to reporters for the first time at the Pentagon, said he watched the video and found it “deeply disturbing”.

“I asked my team for additional information and I will leave it at that,” said Austin.

The widely shared, self-recorded video, posted on TikTok on Thursday, shows an emotional Marine from Camp Lejeune, NC, claiming that a man who admitted the guilt was allowed to remain in uniform after his commanding general intervened.

She said her attacker should initially receive an honorable discharge, but now he would be hired by the service, even after several recommendations from superiors not to keep him in uniform.

“From the top, across the board, everyone said they wouldn’t hold him back,” she said. “And the damn chief chief… with all the evidence and a… decided admission of guilt that they will withhold. “

She says that handling her case “is exactly the reason. . . women in the armed forces kill themselves. That’s exactly why nobody takes it seriously. “

The Marine Corps, in a statement posted on Twitter, said it is aware of the video, “has taken steps to ensure that the Marine is safe” and is collecting information.

“The Marine Corps takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the document said. “The current administrative separation process for the accused mentioned in the video is ongoing.”

The video surfaced after Austin’s pledge in January to work to eliminate sexual assault in the armed forces, an age-old problem that has proved difficult to eliminate, even after decades of effort.

The Defense Department reported last year that sexual assaults increased by 3% in 2019, with similar persistent problems in service gyms.

In one of his first official acts, Austin called on the services to examine programs designed to reduce aggression and sexual harassment.

“I take this issue of sexual assault very, very seriously,” he said on Friday. “We have been working on this for a long time, but we did not get it right. We will do everything in our power to get it right. “

He said that data collection is a first step, but the Pentagon will soon begin to look “in detail at ourselves and what has worked, what has not worked and what steps we need to take in the future. . . . Any other approach is, in my opinion, irresponsible. “

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