US Department of Defense report on sexual assault in the military a ‘step in the right direction’

5 July 2021

Chair of the Women in the Armed Forces Sub-Committee, Sarah Atherton MP, has responded to the US Department of Defense’s report “Hard Truths and the Duty to Change: Recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military”.

The report can be found on the US Department of Defense website.

Sub-Committee Chair's comments

Responding to the US Department of Defense’s report, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, Sarah Atherton MP, said:

"The US Independent Review Commission’s extensive report on sexual assault in the US Armed Forces demonstrates the sheer scale of this problem and the bold action needed to tackle it.

“It is important that the US is looking at these issues at the same time that we are looking at the female military experience, from recruitment through to veterans, in the UK; the world is waking up to the issue of sexual abuse in the military. This report, and the upcoming report from the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, is a step in the right direction, towards a world in which women do not face disproportionate challenges while serving their countries.”