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Wilson Opening Statement for Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Military

March 6, 2009
Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2009

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel today held its second hearing in a series focused on sexual assault in the military. Today’s hearing focused on ongoing efforts to prevent sexual assault. Subcommittee Ranking Member Joe Wilson (R-SC) released the following prepared remarks for the hearing.

“Thank you Chairwoman Davis. Today’s hearing is important because the key to eliminating sexual assault in the military is to prevent it. I welcome the members of our two panels who I believe can provide useful insight into prevention programs. I sincerely appreciate the willingness of Mr. John Foubert and Mr. David Lee to join us to talk about strategies for combating sexual assault based on their research and programs in colleges and universities throughout the United States.

“I applaud the Department of Defense and the military services for recognizing the importance of prevention and for the steps they have taken to improve programs focused on preventing this crime. With that said, we must not only be assured that the Department of Defense concentrates on programs to prevent sexual assault, but also that the Department will spare nothing to provide victims of sexual assault with the services that they need. We also must know that the Department will aggressively pursue and prosecute perpetrators of this heinous crime.

“Today I hope to hear from our witnesses how the Department and the military services are implementing the prevention aspect of the comprehensive policy for the prevention and response to sexual assaults. Congress mandated this policy through the work of this subcommittee in 2005. What policies and programs are working? How do you measure the program’s success? Where does the system fall short? Have you identified areas that need improvement? How can we help?

“It is clear that the Department and the military services have recognized the importance of partnering with nationally recognized civilian experts to identify best practices and find the right solutions to prevent this devastating crime. I commend the leadership for looking outside of their own organizations and for utilizing all available resources to protect the health and welfare of our service members. Our commitment to help you achieve this goal is unwavering.”

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