'Rape part of US military culture'

Caleb Maupin of the International Action Center says it is no surprise that rape is part of the U.S. military culture as American troops are trained to “brutalize and terrorize innocent people” across the world.

Speaking to Press TV’s U.S. Desk on Monday, Maupin said “The U.S. military has specifically targeted women for recruitment in recent decades making an effort to try and push forward [the idea] that it’s involved in supposedly liberating women around the world.”

But these continued revelations of rape and sexual assault in the military, he said, “just show that the U.S. military is a force that is used to beat down, oppress people of the world who are striving for liberation and within its own ranks such ugly practices continue and it really reflects the policies coming all the way to the top.”

Last week, American troops gathered at U.S. military bases worldwide to be warned about the rising rate of sexual assault in the military.

“If you see a situation that could possibly lead to sexual harassment or sexual assault, I expect you to intervene,” Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces, said in a video message shown for airmen at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Thursday.

According to a recent Defense Department report, the number of sexual assaults occurred last year in the U.S. military was 26,000, compared to 19,000 in fiscal year 2011.

The report, which was released last month, also found that 62 percent of those who report sexual abuse in the military are faced with some sort of retaliation for reporting their cases