Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered a top-down review of policies aimed at preventing sexual assault in the Virginia National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force.
The governor issued an executive order on Friday establishing a working group dedicated to assessing the effectiveness of Virginia’s laws and policies regarding sexual offenses within the military units.
The order also establishes an ombudsman within the Department of Military Affairs.
“The safety and well-being of our service members are paramount,” said Youngkin, a MAGA Republican. “Executive Order 50 will ensure we are doing our utmost on behalf of the heroes serving Virginia and our country.”
Credit needs to go here to Youngkin, whose push on this topic is running against the tide of what the MAGAs are doing in DC.
An executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day in office ending DEI programs across the federal-government landscape has led to a pause in sexual-assault prevention efforts in the U.S. military.
This as a report on sexual assaults in the military, released by the Department of Defense in May, reported more than 29,000 sexual assaults across the services in 2023, the most recent year for which fully vetted data is available.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during his confirmation hearings, on his plans for addressing the high rate of sexual assaults in the U.S. military, and he pledged that his “ambition would be to drive sexual assaults in the military down to zero, and any steps we can take toward that goal I will consider.”
A group of Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, led by Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., has since raised issue with efforts by the Pentagon to pause of military Sexual Assault Prevention and Response training programs.
“This decision is not only irresponsible but also dangerous, sending a clear signal that leadership is willing to deprioritize a systemic issue that continues to harm service members. Given the military’s well-documented struggles with addressing sexual violence, pausing this critical training is indefensible and raises serious questions about the commitment to protecting those who serve,” the lawmakers, all women, wrote in the letter.
“The safety and well-being of our service members must remain a top priority. The DoD has a duty to maintain a safe and professional environment amongst all branches of our military, and this move signals a disturbing lack of commitment to that mission. We look forward to a prompt response outlining answers to all our questions and notification of what steps will be taken to reinstate training and strengthen protection against sexual assault in the military,” the group wrote.
Another effort led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called on Hegseth to follow through on his pledge to have the DoD to “do better to train and ingrain the fact that sexual abuse and assault is not tolerated in the force.”
“As staunch advocates for improving SAPR efforts, to include the historic and bipartisan reforms to military justice, we are writing to express our deep concern with the mere possibility of significant alterations or termination of SAPR regulations. There can be no ambiguity in the Department’s position on ending sexual misconduct across the services, and any lack of clarity risks casting a chilling effect across the services,” the senators wrote.
Back to what’s going on in Virginia: the initial members of the working group named by Youngkin on Friday include Brig. Gen. Todd Hubbard, Brig. Gen. Rich Diddams, Ret. Col. Everton Nevers, Brent Hart, Dawne Smith, Dustin Barnes, Shannon “Shay” Spencer, Bethany Anderson, Faith Powers, and Dr. Robin Foster.
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Chris Graham
