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The following information was included in a press release from Congressman Bergman’s office:
Congressman Jack Bergman is focusing on stopping sexual assault at military service academies.
The northern Michigan Republican recently held a hearing regarding action plans to address the results of the Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies
“Our military service academies must do a better job of preventing sexual assaults. Our cadets and midshipmen shouldn’t have to worry about their safety while in training, and any instance of sexual harassment and violence cannot be tolerated. Spending on prevention tactics by academies has increased, but assault report numbers continue to rise. There must be full accountability for these actions – there shouldn’t be any excuses,” said Bergman.
During the hearing, Members questioned protocols and accountability measures that service academies are using to stop sexual assaults.
Among the witnesses giving testimony were Lt. General Darryl Williams (Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy), Lt. General Jay Silveria (Superintendent of the U.S. Airforce Academy), Vice Admiral Walter Carter (Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy), and Col. Don Christensen, USAF (Ret.) (President of Protect Our Defenders).
This hearing provided Members of House Armed Services Committee with a status update on implementation of the academies’ individual plans to address sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The committee also heard the results of the Department of Defense’s annual assessment of the academies’ sexual harassment and sexual assault programs.
