Anna Paulina Luna criticizes Pentagon for valuing ‘wokeness’ over sexual assault training.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Criticizes Pentagon’s Opposition to Bill Aimed at Lowering Sexual Assault Cases in the Military
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has expressed her disappointment with the Pentagon’s response to her bill, the Stop Our Sexual Assault in the Military Act. The bill, which aims to address the increasing number of sexual assault cases in the U.S. military, proposes monthly self-defense training for active service members.
The Department of Defense recently revealed that there were over 8,900 sexual assault reports in the military for fiscal 2022, marking an increase of 76 reports from the previous year.
“The DOD’s response says all you need to know about the state of our military right now,”
Luna told Fox News. “It seems that the DOD prioritizes ‘wokeness’ and imaginary solutions over equipping our service members with the right training to defend themselves and become a stronger fighting force for our country.”
Luna shared that the Pentagon provided a statement to her office, stating their opposition to the bill. According to the statement, the self-defense classes could potentially re-traumatize victims of sexual assault and teach alleged perpetrators how to counter victim tactics. The Pentagon also argued that the training would not improve the treatment of sexual assault victims and could hinder the development of “healthy relationships” among service members while on duty.
“The U.S. military continues to report extraordinarily high rates of sexual assault against active-duty service members, making clear this problem is not being addressed by whatever tactics the DOD currently swears by,”
Luna emphasized.
Luna, a veteran herself, expressed her concern over the Pentagon’s stance, stating that it is crucial for service members to be equipped with self-defense and combat training to defend themselves against attacks. She even referred to the DOD as the “Department of the Offended.”
The bill was introduced by Luna and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) in March, with the support of 14 Republican lawmakers. However, the House Committee on Armed Services has not yet voted on its passage.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Pentagon for comment, and a spokesperson responded, “It would be inappropriate to comment on pending legislation.”
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