What the U.S. Could Learn About Military Sexual Assault From an Australian General

The powerful documentary The Invisible War gives a face to some of the 20 percent of all active-duty female soldiers who are sexually assaulted while serving in the U.S. military. We learn about a few brave rape victims who take their cases to court, and we watch the U.S. government swiftly deny their claims.

The film puts into startling perspective what is happening to men and women in the service—what the top general in the U.S. Armed Forces called an "epidemic" in May. So far, there has been no action around the issue, even though the military released a report last month that unwanted sexual contact complaints involving military personnel jumped 37 percent, to 26,000 in 2012 from 19,000 the previous year. And that only includes those who come forward. Many are silenced through intimidation.

We recently learned that in Australia, where such occurrences are also an issue, it's not being dealt with so quietly. Australia's Lieutenant General David Morrison went public Tuesday in a scathing diatribe against perpetrators who engaged in such wrongdoing. "There is no place for you amongst this band of brothers and sisters," he seethed. It would be great to see someone in the States take such a passionate stance to ensure some change takes place. Until then, check out Morrison's ball-busting in the video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaqpoeVgr8U

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