Panetta Lauds DoD

02/12/2013 11:35 AM CST

Appreciate for Commitment to Protecting Nation By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.   American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - As he prepares for retirement, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today addressed the Pentagon workforce, representing the entire Defense Department, thanking them for their contributions to national defense. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanks the Defense Department's workforce at a farewell ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard, Feb. 12, 2013. Panetta is stepping down as the 23rd defense secretary. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  Speaking in the Pentagon courtyard, Panetta thanked leaders of the Defense Department, civilian employees and the military for their commitment to accomplishing the department's mission since he was sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense on July 1, 2011."I'm a believer that our fundamental mission here at the Department of Defense is very simple," he said. "It is to protect and defend the United States of America and to keep our country safe. And because of your great work, and because of everything you do, we can say with pride that we have kept our country safe." The defense secretary said knowing everything the Defense Department has done has helped to keep the country safe is his biggest source of pride as he heads back to California. Panetta also paid tribute to the "love and support" of the workforce's families as they serve in "tough jobs." "We face a lot of pressure, and challenges that sometimes demand we go long distances away from home," he said. "And yet throughout that, knowing that our families are there, knowing that they love and support us, is what gives us the ability to do this job. "So my deepest thanks go out, not just to all of you, but to your families," he continued. "They are part of our Pentagon family, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their sacrifice and their dedication." Panetta said he has come away from his experiences as defense secretary with a deep respect and admiration for all the dedication and sacrifices involved in keeping the nation safe. "Every day I see the people in this department, working and fighting together as one family, united behind our mission of protecting our country," he said. The secretary also lauded service members for their willingness to fight to keep America safe. "[It's] our No. 1 job, and I am so grateful for those that do that," he said. "I think that we are, as a nation, strong because there are men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect our country." Panetta also acknowledged the civilian workforce's contributions to the Defense Department's mission. "You do everything you can to support our mission," he said. "You support our warfighters downrange. You don't get a hell of a lot of public recognition, but the fact is your efforts make a difference. "We could not do this job without the civilian workforce," Panetta continued. "You're the unsung heroes of this nation, ... [and] are an important part of our success." Panetta said he is "grateful and proud" as he reflects on what the Pentagon team has been able to accomplish together. "We've developed, and are implementing, a new defense strategy that will sustain the strongest military power on Earth as we face challenges in defending our country while implementing fiscal discipline, Panetta said. "I have never believed that we have to choose between our responsibility to national security and our responsibility to fiscal discipline. We can do both." Panetta said the new defense strategy implements key capabilities the military will need in the future, such as agility, rapid deployment, force protection and projection, and rotational deployments, among others. "Putting those elements together was the result of a team effort by both the military and the civilian workforce here," he said. "I deeply appreciate their working as a team to put that in place." The secretary thanked the Pentagon workforce for its part in maintaining the leading U.S. role in world affairs. "We are the strongest military power in the world," he said. "The world needs our leadership. The world needs the United States of America to lead the world towards peace and towards prosperity." Panetta expressed his gratitude for having the "honor" of leading the Defense Department, and told the workforce they would be "in my heart forever." "My friends, it has been the honor of my life to have served with you in this position as secretary of defense," he said. "It's been the greatest privilege I've had in my almost 50 years of public service to be able to represent the people of this department to our friends and to our partners around the world."

Biographies: Leon E. Panetta

Take responsibility to stop sexual assault

Panetta:Leaders Must Stand Against Sexual Assault
"Any sexual assault has no place in military."  
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2012 - Military leaders at all levels must take responsibility to stop sexual assault, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said.

In an interview with NBC's Natalie Morales that aired yesterday, the secretary said, "Any sexual assault has no place in the military."

He continued, "If we don't take steps to deal with it -- if we don't exercise better leadership to confront it -- it'll get worse. And that's why it's really important that we take the responsibility to ensure that it doesn't have a place in the military. I have men and women in the military who put their lives on the line ... to protect this country. Surely we owe it to them to be able to protect them."

Leaders know "that we have to do a better job at dealing with this," the secretary said. "Look, we've got 200,000 women who are in the military. We're trying to open up another 14,000 positions for women, to be able to fully participate."

Those women want to have a career in the military, and have earned the right, he said.

"They're putting their lives on the line," he said. "We've lost 150 during the wars ... 1,000 have been wounded. We owe them the respect, we owe them the honor, of being able to protect them."

The military stands for and defends the values of good order and discipline, he said, which means, "we've got to make sure that women are protected from any kind of assault."

The services have a clear superior-subordinate structure, Panetta noted.

"We can't go to war, we can't fight, we can't protect this country without a strong chain of command," he said. "But that chain of command means there have to be officers, there have to be [noncommissioned officers], there have got to be leaders who say, 'Wait a minute.'"

Leaders must exercise good order and discipline, and speak out against and act to stop certain behaviors, he said.

Panetta noted the department has taken steps to strengthen sexual assault prevention. For example, he said, department policy now allows a sexual assault victim to rapidly transfer from an assigned unit where the assault happened.

"Secondly, we've made clear that you can't just have a unit commander handle this kind of situation; it's got to be moved up to a senior commander ... who will exercise greater responsibility in bringing that [sexual assault perpetrator] to justice," he said.

Thirdly, he said, "We've got to improve the investigations ... have special victims units. And we're putting that in place."

Training is also critical, the secretary said. "We've got to do better training for both the recruits and the commanders," he added. "So that they're aware that this is a real problem."

What's happening in the military is also a societal problem, Panetta said. "We see alcohol playing a role in these areas. We see ... the abuse, the disrespect that's involved -- and the fact is, rape is rape. And it has to be dealt with in a serious manner, and sometimes that's downplayed in the society."

All of those factors lead to "a situation where you can have this kind of power game," he said. "Where people are put into vulnerable positions, and it all plays out. It plays out in society, and it plays out in the military."

He said the only way to prevent that abuse of power is to have strong leaders at every level who stand against it and say, "This has to stop."

Punishing offenders is also important, Panetta said.

"It's an outrage that we aren't prosecuting our people involved here," Panetta responded when Morales noted that 240 cases were prosecuted out of the more than 3,000 reported last year.

The secretary acknowledged assault prosecutions are "tough cases."

"But the fact is we can do this," he said. "We need to improve the investigations and ... we need to ensure that we have [military] prosecutors who are willing to bring these cases to court and make sure that these people don't get away."

The secretary said he opposes turning military sexual assault cases over to civilian courts. "We have a military justice system. We have to enforce good order and good standards," he said. "If somebody hits somebody, or somebody robs somebody, or somebody commits an act on a battlefield that's wrong, we've got to prosecute those people. We have a responsibility to do that. The same thing is true of sexual assault."

The "vast majority" of service members operate on a deep level of mutual trust, Panetta noted.

"Sexual assault can't be a part of that," he added. "We're the ones who have to make sure that doesn't happen."

The secretary said from the top reaches of the Defense Department down to the platoon and squad level, his message is that leaders must take responsibility.

"Frankly, part of this is also moving women into command positions," he added.

Panetta said he's confident the department can make progress against sexual assault.

"This is an issue I, as secretary of defense, am committed to making sure we confront," he said.  Take responsibility to stop sexual assault

Biographies:
Leon E. Panetta

Related Sites:
Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office 
AFPS Special: Sexual Assault Prevention and Response