The chair of the Pentagon’s new sexual assault independent review committee, Lynn Rosenthal, briefs the media, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The Defense Department announced Friday that Lynn Rosenthal will head an independent review commission on sexual assault in the U.S. military, the Pentagon press secretary said. Lynn Rosenthal, formerly the first-ever White House adviser on violence against women and a well-known gender violence expert, will lead the effort. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said sexual assault is not tolerated in the military and that concrete steps are being taken to prevent it.
“To carry out the president’s direction, [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] ordered the establishment of a 90-day independent review commission on sexual assault in the military …to review department policies and processes as directed by the president. The secretary has designated Lynn Rosenthal, formerly the first-ever White House advisor on violence against women and a longtime advocate for survivors of gender violence, to lead this commission.”
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby
The Defense Secretary addressed the issue of sexual harassment after a female U.S. Marine posted a video online TikTok last week angrily accusing a general of intervening to stop the ouster of another Marine she accused of sexual assault and exposing once again the lack of military oversight and accountability such cases. The woman alleges that a general intervened in the case to allow her assailant to remain in the Marines. Last year, the Pentagon reported a 3% increase in sexual assaults in 2019. In addition to the independent review commission, Austin has also directed actions to bring the department in compliance with evidence-based practices to ensure accountability of sexual assault and harassment efforts at every level across the department, Kirby said. “Every member of the total force deserves a workplace free of sexual assault and harassment and personal fear,” Kirby said. “We must commit ourselves to eliminating this illegal and corrosive behavior.”
All Options On The Table
While the commission’s primary task is to provide accountability for those who commit crimes of sexual assault, Rosenthal also said the commission will be looking at climate, culture and prevention.
“The trauma and life-altering effects of sexual assault are devastating in any context,” Rosenthal said. “What I’m struck by here, as I listen to stories of military survivors, is how much their service meant to them, how their life was about this dream of serving in the military, and the dream was a part of their identity. And for many, their dreams were shattered by the trauma of sexual violence and sometimes retaliation for coming forward. This must end.”
-Lynn Rosenthal, Chair of Pentagon’s sexual assault review committee
