Reuters: Politics: Obama speaks out against sexual assault during military base stop

Reuters: Politics Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Subscribe to Bloomberg Businessweek Get Bloomberg Businessweek for 84% off what others pay on the newsstand - that's like getting 38 complimentary issues! Sign up today. From our sponsors

Obama speaks out against sexual assault during military base stop Aug 7th 2013, 21:12 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Sixty removed from U.S. military jobs in sexual assault review Fri, Aug 2 2013 Analysis & Opinion What failed in Pakistan won’t work in Egypt Obama’s Plan: One Nation, Under Government U.S. President Barack Obama walks out after speaking at Marine Corps Base-Camp Pendleton in California, August 7, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing By Jeff Mason CAMP PENDLETON, Calif | Wed Aug 7, 2013 5:12pm EDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama used a stop at a military base in California on Wednesday to speak out against sexual assault within the U.S. armed services. Finishing a two-day trip to Arizona and California during which he promoted new housing reform proposals, Obama came to Camp Pendleton to thank military members for their service and warn Americans that al Qaeda was still a threat. But his comments about sexual assault to roughly 3,000 Marines and Navy members highlighted another problem that has dogged in the military: high levels of sexual assault among the armed forces. The Pentagon reported in May that there had been a 37 percent jump in cases of unwanted sexual contact in the military from 2011 to 2012, from gropings to rape. Sixty people have been removed from jobs as military recruiters, drill instructors and victims counselors as a result of screenings order following the report. "I want you to hear it directly from me, the commander-in-chief," Obama said. "It undermines what this military stands for and it undermines what the Marine Corps stands for when sexual assault takes place within." Debate over the military's sexual assault problem has been intense since a spate of high-profile cases. Obama said it is critical to "stop these crimes of sexual assault and uphold the honor and the integrity that defines the finest military on earth." (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions