Army Major Charged with Sexual Assault-Related Charges Involving at Least 20 Alleged Victims
POD is working with survivors, including civilians, in the case against Maj. Batt and is offering pro-bono legal support to...
Protect Our Defenders Applauds Military Reporter Rose Thayer on First Place Recognition
Protect Our Defenders (POD) congratulates Stars and Stripes reporter Rose Thayer on winning first place for enterprise reporting from Military Reporters and Editors, a distinguished nonprofit organization dedicated to journalists covering the military, national security, and defense.
***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Army to Rule on Media Protections in U.S. v Major Michael D. Stockin
If you would like to interview Ryan Guilds and Christine Dunn, legal representation for survivors involved in this hearing, or...
Protect Our Defenders Calls for Congressional Hearing Amid Coast Guard’s Alleged Sexual Assault Coverup
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2024 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Calls for Congressional Hearing Amid Coast Guard’s Alleged Sexual Assault...
Statement: Protect Our Defenders Applauds Historic Decline in Military Sexual Assaults
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 16, 2024 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Applauds Historic Decline in Military Sexual Assaults The report found...
***STATEMENT*** Lead Army Prosecutor Fired Following Emails Revealed Disparaging Survivors’ Assault Allegations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 6, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Lead Army Prosecutor Fired Following Emails Revealed Disparaging Survivors’ Assault Allegations POD calls...
***STATEMENT*** Army Doctor with Over 100 Victims in Historic Military Sexual Assault Scandal Faces Hearing to Determine Charges
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2023 ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Army Doctor with Over 100 Victims in Historic Military Sexual Assault Scandal...
***STATEMENT*** Army Doctor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Multiple Active-Duty Servicemembers; POD Calls for End to Feres Doctrine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Army Doctor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Multiple Active-Duty Servicemembers; POD Calls for End...
***STATEMENT*** Washington Post Breaks News of Army Doctor Sexually Assaulting More than Twenty Active-Duty Servicemembers; POD Call for End to Feres Doctrine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 28, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Washington Post Breaks News of Army Doctor Sexually Assaulting More than Twenty Active-Duty...
***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Applauds President Biden for New Executive Order Implementing Historic Military Justice Reforms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Applauds President Biden for New Executive Order Implementing Historic Military...
***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Challenges Partisan House Passage of Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Challenges Partisan House Passage of Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense...
***STATEMENT*** POD, Service Women’s Action Network & Minority Veterans of America Call for Re-Examination of Pretrial Procedures by DAC-IPAD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders, Service Women’s Action Network and Minority Veterans of America Call...
***STATEMENT*** Convicted Air Force General Loses Two Stars, To Retire as Colonel After Sexual Misconduct
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 30, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Convicted Air Force General Loses Two Stars, To Retire as Colonel After Sexual...
***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Celebrates Historic Joint Chiefs of Staff Nomination of Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 26, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Protect Our Defenders Celebrates Historic Joint Chiefs of Staff Nomination of Air Force...
***STATEMENT*** Univision Film #IamVanessaGuillen Wins Webby Award, Recognizing Power of Survivors’ Storytelling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** Univision Film #IamVanessaGuillen Wins Webby Award, Recognizing Power of Survivors’ Storytelling Made in partnership with...
***STATEMENT*** New Pentagon Report Details Increase in Sexual Assault Reports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 28, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** New Pentagon Report Details Increase in Sexual Assault Reports Reported military sexual assault...
***STATEMENT*** POD Calls For Independent Investigation Into Fort Hood Climate & Culture Following the Tragic Death of Private Ana Fernanda Basaldua Ruiz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 6, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** POD Calls For Independent Investigation Into Fort Hood Climate & Culture Following the...
***STATEMENT*** POD Announces Legal Counsel for The Family of Private Basaldua Ruiz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** POD Announces Legal Counsel for The Family of Private Basaldua Ruiz POD and...
***STATEMENT*** POD Calls on Biden Administration and Congress to Scrutinize Fort Hood Investigation Following the Tragic Death of Private Ana Fernanda Basaldua Ruiz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 16, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** POD Calls on Biden Administration and Congress to Scrutinize Fort Hood Investigation Following...
***STATEMENT*** POD Calls For Congressional Hearings and Legislative Action in the Wake of Abhorrent Military Academies Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** POD Calls For Congressional Hearings and Legislative Action in the Wake of Abhorrent...
***STATEMENT*** New Report Details Dramatic Increase in Sexual Assault at US Military Academies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** New Report Details Dramatic Increase in Sexual Assault at US Military Academies Nearly...
***Announcement*** Protect Our Defenders’ Next Chapter
February 16, 2023 ***Announcement*** Protect Our Defenders’ Next Chapter We have a lot to celebrate. As we reflect on the...
***Announcement*** #IAmVanessaGuillen to be shown at this year’s Human Rights Watch Film Festival
January 26, 2023 ***Announcement*** #IAmVanessaGuillen to be shown at this year’s Human Rights Watch Film Festival Protect Our Defenders is...
***STATEMENT*** POD Files Amicus Brief on Mental Health Privilege as RAND Report Highlights Barriers to Mental Health Care Faced By Military Sexual Assault Survivors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2023 ***STATEMENT*** POD Files Amicus Brief on Mental Health Privilege as RAND Report Highlights Barriers...
***STATEMENT*** 2023 NDAA Advances Historic Military Justice Reform; Removes All Prosecutorial Authority From Chain of Command
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2022 ***STATEMENT*** 2023 NDAA Advances Historic Military Justice Reform; Removes All Prosecutorial Authority From Chain...
***STATEMENT*** Netflix Releases “I Am Vanessa Guillen” Documentary; Details Guillen Family’s Fight to Reform Military Justice System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 15, 2022 Netflix Releases “I Am Vanessa Guillen” Documentary; Details Guillen Family’s Fight to Reform Military...
***YALE VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES CLINIC PRESS RELEASE*** Military Justice Reform Advocates Sue For Servicemember Prosecution Records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2022 ***YALE VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES CLINIC PRESS RELEASE*** Military Justice Reform Advocates Sue For Servicemember Prosecution...
***STATEMENT*** 2022 SAPR Report Reveals Highest Reported Estimate of Sexual Harassment and Assault in Military History
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2022 2022 SAPR Report Reveals Highest Reported Estimate of Sexual Harassment and Assault in Military...
***STATEMENT*** Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Military Sexual Assault Survivor Challenging Feres Doctrine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 11, 2022 ***STATEMENT*** Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Military Sexual Assault Survivor...
***STATEMENT*** Univision Film “#IamVanessaGuillen” Tells Story of Survivors’ Resilience and Fight For Justice Following Vanessa Guillen’s Murder
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2022 ***STATEMENT*** Univision Film “#IamVanessaGuillen” Tells Story of Survivors’ Resilience and Fight For Justice Following...
**STATEMENT*** Senate and House Armed Services Committees Furthers Justice for Military Sexual Assault Survivors in 2023 NDAA Markup
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2022 **STATEMENT*** Senate and House Armed Services Committees Furthers Justice for Military Sexual Assault Survivors...
**STATEMENT*** General Court Martialed and Found Guilty on Abusive Sexual Contact Charge for the First Time in Air Force History
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 26, 2022 **STATEMENT*** General Court Martialed and Found Guilty on Abusive Sexual Contact Charge for the...
POD’s Justice Award Goes To…
Each year we give the POD Justice Award to a different legal team dedicated to helping survivors. Last week it...
Congreso Anuncia Acuerdo en Reforma Transformativa sobre Justicia Militar para Enfrentar la Epidemia de Abuso Sexual Militar
**INFORME** Congreso Anuncia Acuerdo en Reforma Transformativa sobre Justicia Militar para Enfrentar la Epidemia de Abuso Sexual Militar Protect our...
Congress Announces Agreement on Transformative Military Justice Reforms to Address Military Sexual Assault Epidemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2021 ***STATEMENT *** Congress Announces Agreement on Transformative Military Justice Reforms to Address Military Sexual...
***STATEMENT *** Washington Post Report Says Congress on Verge of Gutting Sexual Assault Reforms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***STATEMENT *** Washington Post Report Says Congress on Verge of Gutting Sexual Assault Reforms After over 30...
***STATEMENT *** Sweeping Military Justice Reform to Be Added to Annual Defense Bill
Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Senator Reed, adopted the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act...
GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF MILITARY JUSTICE REFORM BILL IN SENATE ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE
Washington, D.C. – Addressing the passage of the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act (MJIIPA) in the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee,...
***STATEMENT*** Congresswoman Speier Introduces the Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act; Joins Forces with Senator Gillibrand and Speaker Pelosi
Washington, DC – Today, Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, and Representative Michael R....
NEW YORK TIMES: GILLIBRAND MAKES MAJOR PUSH TO REFORM MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM
Washington, DC — In case you missed it, the New York Times today published a story detailing U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s major push to...
Remarks from Protect Our Defenders President Don Christensen at the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, March 25, the United States Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel held a hearing...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS APPLAUDS PENTAGON’S NEW CIVILIAN-LED COMMISSION ON MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT
Washington, DC – Today, the Pentagon announced the formation of a civilian-led commission to address the epidemic of military sexual assault. The...
***STATEMENT*** SURVIVOR WHO HEIGHTENED FOCUS ON MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT IN VIRAL TIKTOK VIDEO RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Updated March 3, 2021 Washington, DC – Last Friday, a TikTok video in which a distraught Marine expresses her grief after finding out the servicemember...
***STATEMENT*** NEW RAND REPORT FINDS ODDS OF LEAVING THE MILITARY DOUBLE AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT
Washington, DC – The Rand Corporation has released a new report that found sexual assaults and harassment in a single year were associated with...
Speier, Wexton Urge Tighter Security Clearance Protocols to Screen for Ties to White Supremacist Groups
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence...
Join POD’s Don Christensen for a conversation about the military’s racial disparities
Tonight at 7:30PM eastern time. See invite info below.
GILLIBRAND APPLAUDS BIDEN ORDER OVERTURNING BAN ON TRANSGENDER MILITARY SERVICE
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden administration announced an executive order overturning a Trump-era rule that barred additional transgender people from serving openly in...
Biden Secretary of Defense Nominee Lloyd Austin Asked About POD Pledge
Washington, D.C. – At his Senate confirmation hearings on January 19, 2021 President Biden’s Defense Secretary nominee Lloyd Austin was...
Celebrate Survivor Heroes
Watch a panel of survivors discuss their experiences… with a special surprise at the end.
Survivors Speak Out About the Work of Protect Our Defenders
Hear what survivors of military sexual assault have to say about Protect Our Defenders. Donate to POD here.