Page 50 - Command Structure News Today

This as a problem to get rid of or do they view this as a mission to prosecute the predators who join the military? i think too off its probably in the first rather than the latter. and i think were changing that culture now. i think all of these scandals, and the pressure, especially the women on the armed services committee are bringing to bear on this, has made them realize that generals cannot be overturning jury convictions. youve got to prioritize protecting these victims and making them f...

Have to have a command structure that takes retaliation against someone who reports a sexual assault as serious as they do the sexual assault. >> yeah. >> in other words, youve got to really put your thumb on people who are making these womens lives miserable. and by the way, men, too. i mean, there are men being sexually assaulted in the military. >> by other men. other men. >> by other men. and you really need to get after this from the -- looking through the prism of are we protecting the vic...

Women of not, both democrats and republicans, who are stepping up on this issue in a determined effort to stop what is truly a scourge on the military. we need to make certain those who are victims set forward knowing they will be protected and have a chance to have their day in court, a court they can trust. we need to make a new culture when it comes to the command structure in the military so this is unacceptable, intolerable, and those who are engaged in it will pay a price. we understand th...

>> i want to play for you briefly secretary of defense chuck hagel, who is opposed of taking this outside the chain of command. take a listen to what he had to say. >> it is my strong belief, and i think others on capitol hill and within our institution, that the ultimate authority has to remain within the command structure, and we do have to go back and review every aspect of that chain of command, of that accountability. and some things do need to be changed. but i dont think taking it away, t...

Sexual assault and rape is. it is a crime of violence, it is a crime of aggression, it is not a date gone badly. >> i want to play for you briefly secretary of defense chuck hagel, who is opposed of taking this outside the chain of command. take a listen to what he had to say. >> it is my strong belief, and i think others on capitol hill and within our institution, that the ultimate authority has to remain within the command structure, and we do have to go back and review every aspect of that ch...

Him on that? >> its pretty simple, right now its in the chain of command and we have 20,000 felons a year walking around and harming people, hurting people, injuring them. do you know, rachel, we got a new report, the v.a. has stated that right now there are 50,000 men being treated by the v.a. who have experienced some kind of sexual assault in the military. this is an epidemic. this has to stop, and, you know, chuck hagel and i are friends. i supported him and he wrote me a beautiful letter sa...

Crisis is a problem that must be solved in order for there to be better solutions here. >> that is the question i have about how this is going to play out, because it does seem to me, anu, that chuck hagel and a lot of people around the pentagon arent that excited, necessarily, about congress reaching in and telling them how the command structure should work. >> well, there are a lot of lawyers in the pentagon, and were dealing with changes to military law. youre going to see enormous pushback. ...

Of incremental change around this issue, its probably worth noting how the secretary of defense has changed his manner, the way, with which he deals with these issues. the politico today again reporting on this issue says after being blindsided by the rest of an air force officerer this month. hagels office took a different tack on the fort hood investigation, releasing the story to the media. theres obviously increasing transparency on this issue which would seem to be the first step in stoppin...

Their very own. whether it be the assailant or the command structure that deals with these crimes as they move forward. congresswoman nikki tsongas from massachuset massachusetts. >> thank you for your interest. in texas, a powerful storm ripped through north texas overnight. killing at least six people. look at the sky. the national weather service says it was an e-4 storm. the second most dangerous on the fujita scale. 60 homes built by habitat for humanity were destroyed. searching for the mi...

There to be better solutions here. >> that is the question i have about how this is going to play out, because it does seem to me, anu, that chuck hagel and a lot of people around the pentagon arent that excited, necessarily, about congress reaching in and telling them how the command structure should work. >> well, there are a lot of lawyers in the pentagon, and were dealing with changes to military law. youre going to see enormous pushback. the portions were talking about reforming tomorrow ar...