De Blasio’s latest appointment is ‘personal’
Crain’s New York Business reports: Dr. Loree Sutton, a former U.S. Army brigadier general and a psychiatrist, was named commissioner...
De Blasio Names Retired Brigadier General Loree Sutton to Lead Veterans’ Affairs
The New York Observer reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that Loree Sutton, a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General...
TIME: Ernst Says She Was Sexually Harassed in the Military
TIME Magazine reports: Republican State Sen. Joni Ernst, who is running for Senate and served more than 20 years in...
Kirsten Gillibrand, Pushing New College Sexual Assault Bill, Still Has Hope For Failed Military Reform
BuzzFeed reports: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand still believes she can convince the last several senators who voted against her sweeping and...
PR firm that represented disgraced general puts itself up for an award
The Washington Post reports: Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair found himself under the bright lights of the national media after he...
Spangdahlem-based Air Force pilot convicted of rape
Stars and Stripes reports: An Air Force fighter pilot was convicted of rape last week, nine years after he committed...
Air Force Coaches Told to Help Curb Assaults
The Associated Press reports: The superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy said Wednesday that she has told athletic coaches...
Academy leaders express shame, outrage over sex-related crimes
The Denver Post reports: Air Force Academy Superintendent Michelle Johnson and other academy leaders pledged Wednesday to combat a culture...
[VIDEO] Battle over dedication to the military
The Des Moines Register reports: James says Braley introduced legislation that would help people who were victims of sexual assault...
Expert: Military Sex Assault Bill Doesn’t Have Legs
NBC San Diego reports: Military criminal defense attorney and retired Marine Colonel Jane Siegel has been involved in a lot...
Military Appeals Court Agrees To Review Evidence Used To Convict Kansas Airman
The Associated Press reports: The nation’s highest military court has agreed to review the evidence used to convict a Kansas...
California Military Sexual Assault Legislation Headed to Governor Brown – SB 1422
California Newswire reports: A bill to remove investigations and prosecutions of military sexual assault cases from the chain of command...
VA has higher burden of proof for PTSD claims related to sex trauma
The Medill News Service reports: Jamie Livingston joined the Navy in 2000 because she “wanted to be part of something bigger...
Colorado lawmakers back inquiry into Air Force Academy athletics
Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish and Policy Director Miranda Petersen are featured in this report from the Colorado Springs...
Opinion: Service academies should lead fight against sexual violence
Washington Times columnist Deron Snyder writes: Charges against two players were dropped and the other player was found not guilty...
Court: Leaders not liable for subordinates’ bad decisions
The Army Times reports: Janet Galla was serving as a hospital corpsman on a Navy ship in 2004 when she...
Broken Code: AFA superintendent calls for investigation of athletic transgressions
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports: Sexual assault and substance abuse have been problems at the Air Force Academy for decades....
NY Times: Air Force Academy to Examine Conduct of Cadet Athletes
The New York Times reports: The superintendent of the Air Force Academy has begun an investigation into allegations of sexual...
MR. MST Reacts to Confirmation of New Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee Member Brian Lewis writes for the Good Men Project: The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held...
[VIDEO] U.S. Rep. Walorski touts push against military sexual assaults, bipartisanship in new political ad
The Elkhart Truth reports: U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski is out with her second ad of the political season, citing her...
Bill aims to strengthen forensic training in sexual assault cases
The Military Times reports: The Defense Department must improve its procedures for investigating sexual assaults by standardizing training requirements for...
Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee Member Brian Lewis Responds to Proposed Veterans Affairs Reform Bill
This week, a conference committee of House and Senate leaders on veteran issues signed off on a new Veteran Affairs...
Just what’s in the VA reform bill, and can lawmakers pass it before recess?
Stars and Stripes reports: Sex assault: The military has struggled with how to handle and treat sexual assault. Lawmakers want...
A Sailor, a Survivor and a Victim’s Advocate
The Daily Press reports: Petty Officer 1st Class Bonnie McCammond remembers the 2009 housewarming party as a night of celebration...
More Military Sex Assault Reports a Positive Sign?
The Daily Press reports: Military leaders cite several new reforms meant to improve the system going forward. They will evaluate...
Military Sexual Assault Victims Cannot Sue for Damages
Care2 reports: Janet Galla was 21 when she joined the Navy in 1999, following a proud family tradition. She served...
Why We Need to Talk About the Sexual Assault of Men and Boys
The Huffington Post reports: We see the deliberate minimization of this issue every day, such as when a news article...
A Message from Paula Coughlin and Nancy Parrish: Good Community News & Opportunities, Summer Edition!
Protect Our Defenders would like to take a moment to share with you a sample of the good works and...
Washington Post: Navy to retool Blue Angels after scandal
The Washington Post reports: The Navy’s investigative report examining the leadership of former Blue Angels commanding officer Capt. Gregory McWherter...
ELLE Magazine: Inside the Lives of Soldier Girls
Journalist Helen Thorpe discusses her new book tracking the parallel lives of three women soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan...
West Point chief: Academy addressing sexual harassment, assault
The Times Herald-Record reports: A year after he took the reins at West Point, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr....
Investigation reveals creepy details behind Marine colonel’s firing
The Marine Corps Times reports: An investigation into last year’s firing of a senior Marine Corps officer reveals that at...
Sexual assault and a culture unmoored
James Carroll for the Boston Globe writes: A spirit of crisis marks the discussion of sexual assault in America lately, as pressures...
Appeals court rejects lawsuit by alleged military sexual assault victims
The Sacramento Bee reports: The suit was brought on behalf of Ariana Klay and 11 other current and former sailors...
DoD, DoJ Improve Sexual Assault Response Advocate Training
DoD News reports: The Defense Department teamed up with the Justice Department to produce an advanced training program for advocates...
‘It’s horrifying’ Fuller’s ‘One Night’ takes aim at military rapes
The Spirit of Jefferson reports: On Saturday, the issue will again take center stage as the festival’s free Saturday Lecture Series...
Brian Lewis: Men Recovering From Military Sexual Trauma
Protect Our Defenders Advocacy Committee Member Brian Lewis writes for The Good Men Project: The Response Systems to Adult Sexual...
“It was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through”: How reporting sexual assault can revictimize survivors
Salon reports: Earlier this year, after a woman was allegedly assaulted by members of the Naval Academy football team, she...
Protect Our Defenders 2014 (2nd Quarter) Media Report
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS 2014 (2nd QUARTER) MEDIA REPORT Protect Our Defenders (POD) continues to be the leading voice for victims...
VMI cadet alleges sexual assault, faces criminal charge
The Roanoke Times reports: A Virginia Military Institute cadet alleges that a male campus police officer, while investigating a theft...
Foreign Policy: Is it time to ask Joint Chiefs of Staff to have a meeting with Initech’s ‘Bobs’?
Foreign Policy reports: As if they deliberately meant to top their tone-deaf response to that issue, the entire gang assembled...
Family, judge convinced of soldier’s innocence in sex assault case
The Killeen Daily Herald reports: A judge gave hope to the family of a soldier convicted of sexual assault last...
Gallup: One in Four Vets Know a Military Sexual Trauma Victim
Gallup reports: The issue of MST garnered national attention this past winter, with a proposed Senate bill to make it...
[VIDEO] Harvey Bryant on commander authority in military sex assault cases: “I don’t think its best”
WTKR.com reports: “The primary goal is to increase confidence and put it in the hands of people trained in law...
Panel member: Military sex assault response hard to fix
The Virginian-Pilot reports: Harvey Bryant hoped the panel he was appointed to last year would bring a sea change to...
Politico: Adm. Howard: We ‘need to be’ in Iraq
Politico reports: Howard also reacted to recent comments made by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) about sexual assault in the military....
Panel urges caution in changing military law
Protect Our Defenders is featured in this article from the San Antonio Express-News: Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders,...
Soldier found guilty of male-on-male sexual assault, judge disagrees
The Killeen Daily Herald reports: A judge said he plans to recommend that a soldier’s sexual assault conviction be overturned....
DoD Announces New Award for Sexual Assault Prevention Innovation
From a Department of Defense press release: Defense Department officials today announced the first Sexual Assault Prevention Innovation Award to...
Air Force staff sergeant testifies in rape case involving Coast Guardsman
Local10.com reports: In an attempt to look less attractive to the men she worked with in the Air Force, a...