Gillibrand, Grassley & Cruz Offer Military Justice Improvement Act as Amendment to 2021 NDAA
Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), ranking member of the Senate Armed...
It’s time for change: See how POD is effectively pushing for racial justice
From the desk of Nancy Parrish, Founder and CEO of Protect Our Defenders Here is a quick update as we...
Don Christensen Testifies Before House Armed Services Subcommittee About Racial Criminal Justice Disparities
Hearing date: June 16, 2020. The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a hearing on racial disparities in...
Remarks from Protect Our Defenders President Don Christensen at House Armed Services Hearing on Racial Disparities in the Military Justice System
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday June 16th, the United States House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) will conduct a Military Personnel Hearing titled...
***STATEMENT*** AIR FORCE ANNOUNCES INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF RACIAL DISPARITIES AFTER PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE
Washington, DC – Today, the Department of the Air Force Inspector General announced it will independently review the Air Force’s record on racial disparities....
Air Force Leadership Holds Town Hall on Racial Disparities
Washington, DC – On Wednesday, June 3, 2020 Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein and Chief Master Sergeant...
Norton Says Report from Protect Our Defenders Finding Racial Disparities in Courts-Martial, Nonjudicial Punishments Breaks New Ground
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a past chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, today said that...
Survivor Spotlight: Aviation Commander Darchelle Mitchell
Darchelle D. Mitchell was born September 11, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee. She graduated from Warner Robins High School in Warner...
Rep Speier’s Statement on Report Revealing Serious Racial Disparities in Military Justice Cases
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Chair of the House Armed Services Personnel Committee, issued the following statement in response to...
***PRESS RELEASE*** AIR FORCE CAUGHT IN COVER UP, REPEATEDLY CONCEALED RECORDS OF RACIAL DISPARITIES
Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Defenders (POD) released a new report revealing the Air Force has attempted to cover up its data...
*** STATEMENT *** VP BIDEN SUPPORTS EMPOWERING INDEPENDENT PROSECUTORS AS MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTS SURGE
Washington, DC – Today, the Pentagon released its Annual Report on Sexual Assault and Prevention (SAPR) in the Military a day after former...
POD Sends Letter to Senator Hill in Support of Bill to Eliminate Immunity for Sexual Violence Perpetrators of CA Guard Victims
March 20, 2020 The Honorable Jerry Hill California State Senate State Capital Sacramento, CA 95814 Subject: Letter in Support of...
***STATEMENT*** NEW PENTAGON REPORT FINDS 32% INCREASE IN SEXUAL ASSAULTS AT MILITARY ACADEMIES AMONG CADETS AND MIDSHIPMEN
Washington, DC – Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service...
***PRESS RELEASE*** Protect Our Defenders & Military Sexual Assault Survivors Announce Launch of 2020 Presidential Candidate Pledge to Help End Crisis of Military Sexual Assault
Washington, DC – Protect Our Defenders (POD), the only national organization solely dedicated to ending the epidemic of rape and sexual assault...
***STATEMENT*** IN RESPONSE TO GROUNDBREAKING PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS RACIAL DISPARITY REPORT, CONGRESS MANDATES PENTAGON TRACK RACE, ETHNICITY, AND GENDER OF COURTS-MARTIALS
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, the Senate signed the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The final NDAA contains a number of...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS FILES AMICUS BRIEF BEFORE SUPREME COURT TO CLOSE LEGAL LOOPHOLE SETTING ACCUSED MILITARY RAPISTS FREE
Washington, DC – Today, Protect Our Defenders (POD) joined rape survivor and Air Force veteran Harmony Allen in filing an amicus curia brief...
POD President Don Christensen Testimony at Defense Advisory Committee on Investigations, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces
Chairwoman Martha Bashford ATTN: DAC-IPAD One Liberty Center 875 N. Randolph Street, Suite 150 Arlington, VA 22203 15 November 2019...
***STATEMENT*** SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW LEGAL LOOPHOLE SETTING ACCUSED MILITARY RAPISTS FREE
Washington, DC – The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would hear an appeal from the Justice Department to review a military...
***STATEMENT*** Col Don Christensen’s testimony before DAC IPAD’s 15th meeting, November 15, 2019
Chairwoman Martha Brashford ATTN: DAC-IPAD One Liberty Center 875 N. Randolph Street, Suite 150 Arlington, VA 22203 Madam Chair, Thank...
***STATEMENT*** NEW PENTAGON REPORT FINDS SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY MORE LIKELY TO RESULT IN POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER THAN COMBAT
Washington DC – On Monday, the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report that determined sexual...
Jenny Holzer’s “Thing Indescribable” Exhibit Sheds Light on Sexual Assault with Protect Our Defenders
By Sibylle Whittam Recently, I toured the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. I loved the museum, but was blown away...
ABA Journal: ABE Grant Expands Services for Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military
ABE Grant Expands Services for Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military By Amanda Robert September 1, 2019, 12:30...
***STATEMENT*** AIR FORCE ENGAGES IN SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST GEN. HYTEN’S ALLEGED VICTIM LED BY FORMER USAF SEC. WILSON & SEN. MCSALLY
During yesterday’s Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing, Gen. Hyten’s defenders call into question the validity of Col. Spletstoser’s statement based...
***STATEMENT*** AIR FORCE MISLEADS SENATORS AHEAD OF GEN. HYTEN CONFIRMATION HEARING BY CONTRADICTING FINDINGS OF ITS INVESTIGATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2019 Contact: Brian Purchia, 202.253.4330, brian@protectourdefenders.com ***STATEMENT*** AIR FORCE MISLEADS SENATORS AHEAD OF GEN. HYTEN...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS ON WHITE HOUSE TO WITHDRAW NOMINATION OF GEN. HYTEN FOLLOWING COL. SPLETSTOSER’S ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
Washington, DC – Last Friday, Army Colonel Kathryn A. Spletstoser, who served two combat tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as...
Col. Christensen Comments on NYT Article: Army Col. Accuses Nominee for Vice Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff of Sexual Assault
July 26, 2019 Washington, DC – The link to the full article can be found here. Col. Don Christensen, who...
***STATEMENT*** NEW REPORT SHOWS DRAMATIC GENDER GAP AT MILITARY ACADEMIES CAN BE TRACED BACK TO DISPARITY IN CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATIONS
Numbers show women have rarely exceeded a quarter of the nominations submitted to the taxpayer-funded academies by Members of Congress...
***STATEMENT*** NEW REPORT FROM MARINES SHOWS COSTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT CRISIS
Washington DC – Today, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger acknowledged the U.S. Marine Corps’ failure to retain over 25,000 Marines...
Defense Department Ordered to Turn Over Documents on Military Sexual Assault
July 16, 2019 New Haven, CT – On July 12, 2019, a U.S. District Court in Connecticut rejected multiple Defense Department...
GILLIBRAND WRITES TO ACTING SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ESPER TO EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER HANDLING OF GENERAL HYTEN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE AND ASK FOR THOROUGH REVIEW
Gillibrand Urges Higher Level Analysis Following Reports that Nominee for Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John...
NDAA Passes with 61 Speier Provisions, Including Breakthroughs in Transgender Service, Legal Rights, Sexual Assault, Women’s Health, Wasteful Spending
Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) July 12, 2019 Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) and two-hundred and nineteen...
House Adopts Connolly Amendment To Protect Domestic Violence Survivors from Gun Violence
Office of Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) July 11, 2019 Washington, DC – Last night, the House of Representatives adopted...
Rep. Speier’s Bill Amending the Feres Doctrine to Allow Servicemembers to Sue for Medical Malpractice Included in House Defense Bill
Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier July 10, 2019 Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s (CA-14) bill creating a medical...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS MJIA & REFORM BROKEN MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM
June 13, 2019 Contact: Brian Purchia, 202.253.4330, brian@protectourdefenders.com ***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS MJIA & REFORM...
POD sends letter to Senators Tillis and Gillibrand, addressing the utilization of independent prosecutors in foreign military services
April 25, 2019 Chairman Thom Tillis 113 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand 478 Russell...
Letter to Senators Tillis and Gillibrand in Response to Hearing on Military Services’ Prevention of and Response to Sexual Assault
On March 6, 2019, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on sexual assault in the military, titled “Military...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS PRESIDENT COL DON CHRISTENSEN (RET.) TO CALL FOR PENTAGON TO EMPOWER PROSECUTORS, RATHER THAN COMMANDERS, WITH THE AUTHORITY TO PROSECUTE SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2019 Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee will hold a...
Remarks from Protect Our Defenders President Don Christensen at House Armed Services Hearing on Examining the Role of the Commander in Sexual Assault Prosecutions
On Tuesday, April 2nd, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine military commanders’...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS PRESIDENT COL DON CHRISTENSEN (RET.) CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT PROSECUTION OF MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 6, 2019 Washington, D.C. — Today, the United States Senate Armed Services Committee (watch live here)...
Remarks from Protect Our Defenders President Don Christensen at US Senate Committee on Armed Services Hearing on Military Services’ Prevention of and Response to Sexual Assault
Today, the US Senate Committee on Armed Services held a hearing to receive testimony on the Military Services’ prevention of...
Sexual Misconduct Has Reached ‘Crisis’ Point at U.S. Military Academies, Lawmaker Says
The survey estimated 747 cadets and midshipmen experienced such contact or harassment during the 2017-18 academic year, compared to 507...
Remarks from Protect Our Defenders President Don Christensen at House Armed Services Hearing on 2019 Sexual Assault and Violence Report at the Military Services Academies
Today, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee held a hearing on the results of the Sexual Assault and Violence...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS PRESIDENT COL DON CHRISTENSEN (RET.) CALLS ON PENTAGON TO EMPOWER MILITARY PROSECUTORS OR TURN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES TO CIVILIAN JUSTICE SYSTEMS AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 13, 2019 Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee (watch live here)...
***MEDIA ADVISORY*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS PRESIDENT COL DON CHRISTENSEN (RET.) TO TESTIFY AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING AFTER 47% INCREASE IN SEXUAL ASSAULT AT MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** MEDIA ADVISORY *** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS PRESIDENT COL DON CHRISTENSEN (RET.) TO TESTIFY AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING...
***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING AFTER REPORT SHOWS 47% INCREASE IN MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 31, 2019 ***STATEMENT*** PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING AFTER REPORT SHOWS 47% INCREASE IN...
The flying fraternity: Africa, alcohol and the Afterburner Club
Eleven current and former officials told VTDigger that the Vermont Air National Guard has tolerated a toxic culture of excessive...
Norman Lear, Kirby Dick, ‘SEAL Team’ Actors Talk Tackling the Military on TV
Paula Coughlin, a former Navy lieutenant who was assaulted while in active duty and is now a board member and...
Misconduct in the Military
“Retired Air Force Colonel Don Christensen is President of Protect our Defenders -a group focused on combating sexual violence in...
This Veteran’s Day, Support Survivors of Sexual Violence
“One legislative effort Protect Our Defenders has been deeply involved with has been Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement Act...
Failing Private Burnham: How the Army Did Not Protect a Minnesota Soldier after a Sexual Assault
“It’s inconceivable that they let her languish in Korea,” said Don Christensen, president of Protect our Defenders, a Washington D.C....