Ma'am, I'm more afraid of my own soldiers than I am of the enemy.

It is a crime that continues to shock us with its regularity.

The tragedy that took place in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, shocked and saddened the Nation.

The personal nature of sexual assault makes it difficult for victims to come forward and discuss the details of their experience.

In addressing the issue of military sexual assault it is necessary to address some fundamental areas, namely: Command, Culture and Accountability.

Addressing this issue, Niki Tsongas and I included a provision in the Defense STRONG Act last year requiring the DoD to retain records prepared in connection with sexual assaults.

But the reality was that, despite all those good efforts, in returning visits it has become clear that there are many, many shortcomings.

It is clear that the role, the leadership role, the role of the command structure is very, very important and that there have to be accountability measures built into that as well.

I would urge the Department to do everything in its modernization efforts to incentivize lighter-weight body armor in its acquisition process--lighter-weight while still matching the necessary threats.

I oppose President Obama's initial request for supplemental funding for the surge for an additional 30,000 troops because I had questions about our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan that I felt went unanswered.

I remain concerned by the fact that our female service members are wearing armor which was not specifically designed to fit their anatomy.