WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says military leaders are ashamed about the military's failure to stop sexual assaults in the ranks.
Obama says there's no silver bullet to solve the problem. He says it will take a sustained effort, but he wants to leave no stone unturned.
Obama says victims shouldn't face stigma or fear of retaliation. He says the sexual assault problem makes the military less effective.
Obama spoke after meeting Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders. They met at the White House to address a military wide problem brought to light by a recent string of misconduct cases and a Pentagon report showing that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year.
