Gave an update on the investigation. This is a halfhour. Good afternoon. When i was a j three they never let me come in here. [laughter] hopefully we will all find out why i thought we were going to have a small little gathering in the dining room and have a roundtable to talk about this but it clearly has gone beyond that. Let me make a quick statement and i will take some questions. I am the commandant of the marine corps. You all know we are looking at allegations that marines, specifically female marines have been subjected to cyber bullying, nonconsensual sharing of images, disrespectful comments made about them presumably by other marine. Allegations themselves undermine everything that we stand for as a marine corps and is marines. Discipline, honor, professionalism, and respect and trust amongst each other. We cannot do what our nation needs us to do, which is fight and win in combat and in life. Battles,arines, and and return better citizens to our nation, that is our mission. I did not know how many activeduty marines are involved or participated in this website. I do not know the exact number of marines who may have been targeted. How manyknow activeduty marines participated. Andinvestigation is ongoing will help us understand the scope of this. If there is accountability to be made, those that are involved will be held accountable. For those marines that are watching this or listening or may have been involved in this, if you are participating in this type of behavior in any way, shape, or form, you are not helping me or your marine corps. I would ask you to reconsider your participation in any sort of behavior like this. Being a marine is a special title and something that you earn. There is honor here. But there is no honor in denigrating a fellow marine in any way, shape, form. So what are we doing about it . As i mentioned, there is an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Services that is ongoing. Assistant commandant general walters will form a task force to take a look at where we are in the investigation and what other actions might be taken. They will be part of the assessment of the scope and scale of this, with allegations and activity on social media, but well take a look at underlying cultural issues. They are going to look at what is going on, developing plans for corrective actions and recommendations to policies and procedures in training marines that will prevent this in the future, and the culture that i would say so culture that may have given right i would say subculture that may have given rise to this. I have made it clear and all the things i have written. I think you have seen the message of force i put out where i specifically did not address this type of behavior, but talked about other things marines have been involved with where they were destructive to them and to the organization, and that basically i said we needed to treat each other better. This was all before that. This was before these allegations. So i think i have been pretty clear on what the expectation is of marines, and i think i have been very clear of what they should expect of leadership and of me. We will dress this like we will dress this likely have addressed any other issue with have had, head on. We will be selfcritical, self analytical, but also we have got to recognize that there is a problem and we have got to everyone that thesolvei would d overwhelming number of marines past and present live up to our core values of honor, courage, commitment. Theyre ashere troubled by this whole thing as i am. So, i am ready to take any of your questions. Yesman thank you for coming forward in doing this. How many women have come forward to make a formal complaint . Have you taken any actions so far against anyone . Any sort of punishment . A broader question, do you believe other marines have been doing this photo sharing . What is your message to the women marines . Neller the number we know of is less than 10 so far. We would encourage anyone else believed to have been involved in this to come forward. The number of individuals that just i am who i kind of confirmed concerned andky lighting somebody he would try to bring this attention to be attacked by other marines. Thats right now, i think his evidence is around 30. Im sorry what how many . Neller the has been no one charged at this time. He investigation is ongoing we are going to find out what we are going to find out. Your message to the women marines . Theres a lot of is going around online what is your overall message . Gen. Neller i will ask them to trust us. I understand why that might be a bit of a reach for them right now. But i cannot fix this. There only way there will be accountability in this is if someone comes forward and tells me what happened to them. I think you all know there has been a lot of discussion recently. I was on a radio show yesterday, and we were talking about social media and the legal system. There are some things we are learning about this. If you post a picture, get a picture to someone as consent, what is consent and all that . And my lawyeryer, is probably cringing as i am talking about this right now. That is part of the difficulty of getting to the bottom of this. Not just in the military but in our society, that there is a certain level of anonymity in this. That they can take a picture of any of us walking down the street, posted, and then ask us what we think . They can just post it and walk away. But this is different. Based on the allegations, the individuals doing this for focused on a particular group. Degrade se was to for whatever reason they had whether it was to make themselves feel better, i do not know. Im trying to understand. Critics have said that the uniform code of military justice is such that if the photo was taken consensually, that does not rise to article 120 c. Does the uniform code of military justice allow for the strictest penalties in this case . Gen. Neller i will not get into penalties or what the outcome will be, but we have talked about this. That is something this task force will help us to understand. What can we do and what cant we do . What potentially needs to be changed so that there can be better accountability. So that people might realize there are going to be consequences to this type of behavior. What have you observed about the internal dynamics about this group marines united . Apparently, there was some internal disagreement over whether this was appropriate behavior or not. Gen. Neller i am not a member, so i do not know or am interested in what their internal dialogue is. Any other sites that marines were using to exchange these kinds of photos . Gen. Neller am i personally aware . We have been looking, and i will not speculate, but my sense is that there are probably others out there. Forward, come hopefully more, we will find out more about this and other sites that are out there. Is mr. Brennan being provided any attention . Gen. Neller i will not speak for mr. Brennan. I have spoken with him. He is ok. Has informed the appropriate authorities as to what the situation is. To questions. Two questions. Will any women marines officers serve on the task force . You talked about accountability, what will the consequences be . We formed the task force a couple of days ago. I am confident there will be female marines. We are going to have a meeting with all of our commanders to give them an update as to where it is. As far as what is going to something i am thatsng to do, because a commander never goes out and says youre are going to do this and then this. So, i do not know what will come out of the investigation other than our goal is to if there is accountability to be had, we will make that kind ability. You expectear, do there to be women on the task force . Gen. Neller i expect there to be. There are a number of female officers have been part and parcel to all the discussions we have had about the statements. They have been very helpful to me to help me frame the bigger situation. Marines to sent 400 syria. Can you talk about what kind of impact these alleged actions by these other marines could have on them . How this could be used as propaganda in the fight against isis . Gen. Neller i am not going to talk about ongoing operations. I am pretty confident those marines are focused on what their mission is. Onanything, they are focused doing what they need to do, what their mission is. As far as any other organization in todays world, anytime someone has issues there is someone who is willing to step up and use it as a way to degrade or disparage that particular organization. Whether it is some group like isis or anyone else that is going to do that, i do not know. There is now a second group that seems to be in defiance of you and continuing to post these pictures. What does this group, ring 2. 0, what does their opposition say to you . Gen. Neller frankly, i am not interested in what they have to say. We asked their provider to take it down when identified, and they did. The ability in this domain to move around and hide under the cover of darkness and not to stand up and be somebody of substance, i think that speaks for my opinion of the organization. You spoke about underlying cultural challenges in the subculture. To what extent is this a cultural problem in the marine corps . Gen. Neller i think we are going to find out what degree this is in the organization. Aboutot qualified to talk i am not going to lay this on anyone else or on a society. We own this. We have a culture we believe in. There are people that are not going to buy 100 into that culture, and we need to have a conversation. You think the motive behind this was to intimidate female marines . I do not know what their motive is. You would have to ask them. Regardless, we have talked about this, and i will give you my personal opinion. Whatever your opinion is on that , we can have a discussion about that, i do not see how you get from that to where you feel it is going to help your argument or position on that to take a picture of another marine, post it, and make negative comments about it. B . Do you get from a to that is what im struggling with. To your comments about cultural issues. To what extent do you think the task force will take to ask those questions . What specific answers are you looking for . Gen. Neller first, we want to make sure the victims are provided appropriate support and services. We want to make sure we follow the investigation to make sure we get to some sort of understanding of what is going on and who was involved in what is involved and what is going on. Allalk about our culture the time. If you go back to the message of the force that was done after the first year, i was trying to define what i think our culture is and try to make people understand that there is a certain way we expect you to behave and live your life as a marine. If there are those that think they have a better way, then we are going to have to talk about that. What it sure i know dont know yet about that. Were going to try to dig into that. Is there a time frame for the task force . Any kind of deadline . Gen. Neller not yet. We are less than a week into this. The investigation is the investigation. We are there to support the investigation. Say, we do not want to be in a hurry. We want to make sure we are thorough and within the law. We will uncover things as we go along. Have any female marines felt comfortable coming forward . Especially in regards to any possible peer retaliation . Gen. Neller everything i have read on the social media bullying, it tells me that you are always at risk of bullying from someone else. I will make sure that if you come forward within the institution that the chain of command is obligated by my direct directions to make sure they are protected. Stretch for me to ask them to trust us at this time, but i want to believe they believe we are going to do all we can to get to the bottom of this. I need their help. I need everyones help. All marines. This affects the entire organization. Our alumni, and ill reserve component and our reserve component. When did you first hear about these allegations . Timeline is the towards the end of january. We were contacted by a reporter who told us about this, and then we engaged with him. He came forward with enough information that we felt it was a credible thing. That, we went to the Service Provider and we had the site taken down. We then continue to engage, and we convened the investigation. We worked with the individual as he was getting ready to release his story. So we were aware of it for some he had a pointew where he was going to release the story. So, we were we tried to engage certain people by the release of the story, and somehow here we are. Have your fellow Service Chiefs expressed gen. Neller by fellow Service Chiefs and the chairman, theyll know what is going on. They all know what is going on. This one. I had i have to call on a fellow marine back here so he will not get upset with me later. Reports of these misogynistic websites as early as 2013 and 2014. Incidentering why this prompted such a heavy response instead of tackling it before hand . Second, you talk about the soap culture, but i would appreciate in your own words what that subculture looks like to you. Gen. Neller i do not have a good answer for you. I could give you a lot of reasons, but they would sound like excuses. I remember when all that went , we, and, quite frankly have folks that track the stuff and look at this stuff, but on a daytoday basis we are not weg for sites that look for people who do certain things, but if you had asked me to a three weeks ago what my number one concern is, it would not be looking for websites where marines are allegedly posting pictures of other marines and making the grading, misogynistic degrading, misogynistic, objectifying comments. I thought we were getting ready to modernize the force and address our readiness. Go here or go there. I was quick to go to norway this weekend to see a bunch of marines above the Arctic Circle training. Doing things that great majority of us came into the marine corps to do travel, and get ready to represent our nation. Instead, i will be up on capitol hill. So, i do not have a good question as to why after this original thing. I do not think we walked away from it. I think we realized that if you read anything i have written or said, the sort of selfdestructive behavior mostly revolved around alcohol, what i on whyking about back i did not talk about this. I do not have a facebook page. I do not do social media, and maybe that is my mistake. On the subculture thing, i do group orwhat demographic in the marine corps is involved in this. I do not know if they think they are helping us or that they are going to fight some fight because they think they have a better idea. I do not know if this is something they are doing to try becauseease their rep, they may or may not have been in combat or want to get into combat. I do not know. I am tried to get some kind of explanation, because i am generationally challenged here. Me to try andlp understand this stuff. When you read the news or watch this stuff, right now it is dead center. It is right in front of me now. You have to understand the threat and understand what is going on. Marines, when i go down to speak with them, that they will speak with me. It is not just on social media. Hink we have been fighting for 15 years. Men and women side by side. Women did their thing. I do not know what else they goodo do for us to say to go. We all bring something to the game. Glenns battalion was up and doing a checkpoint. Female marines were manning the checkpoint as the iraqi women were coming through. So, what you have to do to get in . What you have to do to get in . Come on guys. They just want to do their job. Youthem do their job, and do yours. And it will all work out. But this is not the way. If you think you are helping me or the institution, i do not need your help this way. I do not. I have enough problems. I need you to help me in other ways. I need you to be good people. Men and women of character and virtue. Educate your score up so you can go to college or become an officer. I need you to read more, drink less, and pt smarter. That is what i need you to do. If we all do that, it will be good. This is not helpful. Thank you very much. The second in command of the marine corps, general gary thomas, testified about military readiness at a armed