WSexual assault in the United States armed forces is an ongoing issue which has received extensive media coverage in the past. A 2012 Pentagon survey found that approximately 26,000 women and men were sexually assaulted that year; of those, only 3,374 cases were reported. In 2013, a new Pentagon report found that 5,061 troops reported cases of assault. Some are optimistic that this increase in reports is indicative of victims "growing more comfortable in the system". Of the reported cases, only 484 cases went to trial; 376 resulted in convictions. Another investigation found that one in five women in the United States Air Force reported having been sexually assaulted by service members.
WCraig A. Franklin is a former United States Air Force lieutenant general who last served as the commander of 3rd Air Force, based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. A 1981 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Franklin served in flying assignments, instructor pilot assignments, as well as multiple staff assignments. Franklin has commanded a test and evaluation group and three wings, including the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing based at Balad Air Base, Iraq.
WH.R. 2527 is a bill that would extend a United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program of counseling and care and services for veterans for sexual trauma that occurred during active duty or active duty for training to veterans who experienced such trauma during inactive duty training. The bill would alter current law, which allows access to such counseling only to active duty members of the military, so that members of the Reserves and National Guard would be eligible.
WThe Invisible War is a 2012 documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering and Tanner King Barklow about sexual assault in the United States military. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award. The film has been lauded by advocates, lawmakers, and journalists for its influence on government policies to reduce the prevalence of rape in the armed forces.
WCaptain Judith Keene is a former Commandant of Cadets at the United States Coast Guard Academy. She was the 31st to hold the position and the first woman to ever do so. During her tenure, Keene had to deal with a court martial in which cadets testified that sexual assault issues at the academy were not taken seriously.
WLance Corporal Maria Frances Lauterbach of Vandalia, Ohio, was a United States Marine who disappeared from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on December 14, 2007. At the time of her disappearance, Lauterbach was eight months pregnant. Authorities found the remains of Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child in Corporal Cesar Armando Laurean's backyard. Laurean was extradited from Mexico in 2009 and convicted of murder in 2010.
WThe Tailhook scandal was a military scandal and controversy in which United States Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aviation officers were alleged to have sexually assaulted up to 83 women and seven men, or otherwise engaged in "improper and indecent" conduct at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. The events took place at the 35th Annual Tailhook Association Symposium from September 5 to 8, 1991. The event was subsequently abbreviated as "Tailhook '91" in media accounts.
WThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa operations and support activities in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility.