debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. >> tonight on c-span2, the pentagon releases a report on military sexual assault. senator talks ...

>> i would say sorry for your loss. and your sacrifice. we should have done more. whether that was preparation prior to or execution at the time. even if we simply just burned gas in airplanes moving people. we have to have the confidence of the american people that provide us with their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mom and dads. and continue to fill uniform and those civilian positions that are key and brave as well in harm's way. we have to ensure we rebuild the

trust, this is level talking to you, we have to rebuild their trust. it is a big part of why i want to be here. we need to say to them we should have done more. and we owe it to the memory of those four people who are fallen and hurt and wounded. >> could we have done more? >> i am sure we could have done more. >> secretary hilary clinton whispered into the air that it was the video that had done this. is that true? when did you think it was over? when were americans out of harm's way? when were they safe? >> they are still not safe today. >> when did you think the fight

was over? >> we are still there. that night, september 12th, we still had people in benghazi, when was the fight over? >> when the people from benghazi finley made their way pack and were extracted back to tripoli. >> you can watch the rest of the hearing on c-span when it is getting underway. and join the conversation on facebook where we are asking has benghazi been fully invested. a new pentagon report found sexual assaults in the military rose 25% between 2012-2013. defense secretary chuck hagel discussed the report and he is joined by officials from the defense department sexual assault prevention and response office. this is 45 minutes.

>> good afternoon. happy may day. last week, as i think many of you know, i visited dod's safe helpline for survivors of sexual assault. and i saw, when i was over there, an interesting wall with post-it notes on it. and so i went over to the wall and looked at what those post-it notes said. and what they were, were notes that recorded individuals who had used the hotline and what they had said, as they called back or ended their conversation with the people in the hotline office. and they were pretty

penetrating, pretty significant, i thought, because those notes were in the words of the people, victims who had used the system. and there was -- among many sobering quotes, there was one in particular i want to quote back to you that really struck me. and it read -- it was very simple, very brief -- it read, "thank you. all you did tonight was save my life. " that's pretty powerful. now, i know this business is not all that dramatic. i get it. but when you think about what was behind that message and what that victim said, but more importantly what she meant by those words, was -- was pretty powerful. and i think we should keep in mind, as we think about this

issue and how we continue to go forward and address sexual assault everywhere, the depth of this great crime that is perpetrated against our fellow citizens. and i want to address here this afternoon very briefly the report that we are issuing today, which some of you, probably most of you have seen. i know it's been out in the media. and then general snow is going to come behind me and kind of go through some of the more specific parts of -- of that -- with the report that we're issuing. sexual assault is a clear threat to the lives and the well-being of the women and men who serve our country in uniform. it destroys the bonds of trust

and confidence that lie at the heart of our armed forces. over the past year, i've issued 22 separate directives to strengthen how dod prevents and responds to sexual assault in the military, how we support the victims of this despicable crime, how we educate and train our people, and how we hold both offenders and ourselves accountable. i also recently directed standardizing how we screen those in positions of trust throughout the force. these were important steps that we needed to take, but we must do more. today, i issued six new directives that will build on what we've already done. they include a department-wide

review of institutional alcohol policies which will be revised where necessary to address risks that alcohol poses to others, including the risks that alcohol is used as a weapon against victims in a predatory way. they also require new methods to better encourage male victims to report assaults and seek assistance. with estimates that men comprise more than half the victims of sexual assault in the military, we have to fight the cultural stigmas that discourage reporting and be clear that sexual assault does not occur because a victim is weak, but rather because an offender disregards our values and the law. input from male victims will be critical in developing these

methods, and results will be closely monitored so we can make them more effective. the best way to combat this crime is to prevent it. as a result, today we are issuing a substantially revised dod sexual assault prevention strategy. while many of my directives this past year have focused on strengthening prevention, the prevention strategy hasn't been updated since it was first drafted here in 2008 and will now be updated every two years. the updated strategy reflects the initiatives i've directed over the past year and was put together in consultation with experts from the cdc, the fbi, law enforcement, and other organizations, as well as colleges and universities. by collaborating with people and institutions that also deal with this problem every day, we learned a lot about how to develop the most effective evidence-based methods to prevent sexual assault. now we will put them into practice. we're also releasing the 2013 annual report on sexual assault in the military, which underscores that we have a long

way to go before we get close to solving this problem. we believe victims are growing more confident in our system. because these crimes are underreported, we took steps to increase reporting, and that's what we're seeing. last year, we had a 50 percent increase in sexual assault reports, which is unprecedented. we also had 492 servicemembers -- nearly four times more than ever before -- come forward to report assaults that had occurred before they joined the military, which meant that we were able to get them the care and give them the support that they need. however, we also believe these crimes are still underreported, so we must keep up the pressure and intensify our efforts to improve victim confidence in our system as we work to prevent sexual assault in the military. the 2013 report also shows that commanders were able to take stronger disciplinary action against alleged perpetrators and that they were doing so much more frequently than in the past. disciplinary actions in cases where the military had jurisdiction reached a high of 73 percent last year. when commanders took disciplinary action on sexual assault offenses, they moved to court martial a record 71

percent of alleged perpetrators. these results indicated that our investments in training investigators and attorneys are continuing to make a difference in our ability to hold offenders accountable. as i noted, major general snow will provide more detail about both the strategy that i'm announcing today and the report. but let me close by saying that every single person in the military, every single person, must take personal responsibility for helping stop sexual violence within our ranks. that includes both sexual assault and sexual harassment. every one of us must hold ourselves and each other accountable at every level of command. we must hold ourselves accountable for living up to our values, meeting standards, and making sure that everyone, whether they're in the military or not, is treated with dignity and respect. to the victims and survivors of

sexual assault in the military, know that dod's leaders and i are listening to you, and we will do everything we can to support you. so will our commander-in-chief. the recommendations announced on tuesday by the white house task force to protect students from sexual assault underscored the president's strong commitment to putting an end to this violence wherever it occurs. if you want to wear the uniform of the united states military, just understanding our core values is not enough. we must live all -- live and enforce those values. and we must do that every day. we must each be responsible for our own actions, but we also must step up and take action when we see something happening that undermines our values and puts one of our own at risk. the victims are not only human beings; they're fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. we cannot let them down.

thank you very much. general snow? general, thank you for your tremendous work and leadership. thank you very much. >> well, good afternoon. our mission is to reduce, with the goal of eliminating, sexual assault for the united states armed forces. as you just heard from the secretary, today we're releasing the annual report on sexual assaults involving military members, as required by congress. this year, we organized a report according to the five lines of effort in the strategic plan the secretary approved last year -- prevention, investigation, accountability, advocacy, and victim assistance and assessment. in addition to giving you the top-line results from the fiscal year '13 annual report on sexual assault in the military, i'll also give you more detail on the department of defense sexual

assault prevention strategy and the initiatives directed by secretary hagel. in the report, we have detailed the policy and program enhancements made in fy13 to prevent and respond to the crime. in the interest of time, i'd like to highlight three for you. we created the special victims counsel program. this offers legal consultation and representation to victims of sexual assault throughout the justice process. more than 185 attorneys are now directly supporting victims across the armed forces. another reform, we put in place new methods of assessing the performance of military commanders and enlisted leaders in establishing command climates of dignity and respect. this is done through a system of unit surveys and performance evaluations. and the last example, we fielded a special victim capability in each of the services. this is a program designed to improve collaboration between

specially trained investigators, collaboration -- prosecutors and legal personnel who respond to allegations of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. this capability improves our ability to identify evidence, support victims, and hold offenders appropriately accountable. numerous additional program or policy enhancements are detailed in the report. our top line results are measured in the choices of victims, victims who have made the courageous choice to report. and as you just heard from the secretary, they're doing so in unprecedented numbers. i'd like to remind everybody that sexual assault is an underreported crime. as such, the department took steps to increase reporting, because each report allows us to provide care to a victim and an opportunity to hold an offender appropriately accountable. this year's 50 percent increase indicates to us that victims

have greater confidence in the response system. while we see indications that our efforts over the last year-and-a-half are having an impact, it does not mean that we are satisfied with our progress. we will continue to encourage greater reporting while reducing the occurrence of this crime by improving our prevention measures. the department takes action in every case where it has jurisdiction and sufficient evidence to do so. this year, commanders had sufficient evidence to take disciplinary actions against 73 percent of alleged offenders. this is up from 66 percent from the prior year. this chart shows the historical trends of our sexual assault reporting in the department. it is important to note that each report consists of at least one military subject or one military victim. the crimes involved, the range of -- involved the range of sexual assault offenses in the uniform code of military justice, from abusive sexual contact to rape. as you can see on the chart, historically, reports of sexual assault on the average have

increased 5 percent per year since 2006. this year's overall increase in reporting was an unprecedented 50 percent. in the department, there are two ways to report a sexual assault -- an unrestricted report, which is referred for investigation by independent criminal investigators, and a restricted report, which remains confidential. as in prior years, about 75 percent of our reports are unrestricted reports, and 25 percent are restricted reports. this has stayed somewhat stable since 2006. in fiscal year 13, just over half of the matters investigated by military criminal investigators involve an initial allegation of a penetrating offense, such as rape or forcible sodomy. the remainder of the allegations involved non-penetrating offenses, which are sexual contact crimes, such as groping. the proportions of the types of crimes alleged have stayed somewhat -- somewhat the same over time. the top three crimes reported to the department were abusive sexual contact, sexual assault,

and rape. the department's assessment of increased confidence is supported by the additional metric that shows an increase in victim reports of incidents occurring prior to military -- prior to joining the military. ten percent of reports made this year were for incidents of sexual assault that occurred prior to military service. this figure has never exceeded 4 percent. the percentage of alleged sexual assault offenders receiving some kind of disciplinary action has been growing each year. we believe this reflects an investment in the training of our investigators and prosecutors. this chart answers the question, when commanders have legal authority over the offender and sufficient evidence of a sexual assault, what form of disciplinary action do they take against the offender? as you can see, this year's commanders had sufficient evidence to prefer court martial charges on 71 percent of accused service members. that has not always been the case. the system of military justice that we have in place today is

significantly different from the one that existed as recently as two years ago. this data also demonstrates that more and more victims are getting an opportunity to be heard in the military justice system. as i mentioned, we've taken our assistance to victims to a new level with the special victims counsel program. this confidential support helps keep victims participating in the military justice system for as long as they desire. the bottom line: commanders are taking allegations of sexual assault very seriously and holding offenders appropriately accountable. as secretary hagel just said, the best way to combat sexual assault is to prevent it, which is why he directed the implementation of an updated sexual assault prevention strategy designed to institutionalize a comprehensive

approach across the department. using this strategy, we will intensify our efforts at every level of military society to prevent this crime. by establishing the right command climate, ensuring leadership support, and empowering service members to safely intervene, the department of defense will be the last place a military offender wants to be. this strategy was developed collaboratively with the military service and civilian experts such as the centers for disease control and prevention, the fbi, and colleges and universities with innovative programs and research. in order for prevention to work, as reflected on this slide, steps must be taken at every level from individuals to leadership who make policy. at the core of this effort, we place commanders. it is commanders that set the tone in their units and will be the means by which we foster

climates of dignity and respect. in addition to the prevention strategy, the secretary has also directed the implementation of several measures to enhance our program, and they are reflected on this slide. i'd like to amplify each of the bullets. on the first directive, advance and sustain appropriate culture, our leaders must promote healthy relationships, encourage active bystander intervention and social courage, and demonstrate daily how our core values support mutual respect. second, we are evaluating commander sapr training. we will be reviewing the implementation of the newly developed core competencies and learning objectives for pre-command and senior enlisted training to ensure they understand the nature of the crime and that they know how to engage our response system to support victims. third, we are reviewing alcohol

policies. we're asking the service to ensure their alcohol policies encourage responsible sales practice, training of providers, and involve the support of the communities around our installations to reduce the risks posed by alcohol and improve safety to our service members. fourth, we are taking steps to improve reporting for male victims. to promote recovery among male victims who report this crime at a much lower rate than female victims, we're asking the services to enhance their efforts to encourage male victims to report and seek care. fifth, in order for everyone to have the latest information and make promising practices common practices, we are creating an online forum to share research and innovations in prevention. and, finally, we want to hear how we are doing from those who use our services. to do so, the department of defense and the services are collaboratively fielding a

survey for victims of this crime. in summary, we're encouraged by the increase in reports made by victims of this crime. given historical data, we believe the increase in reporting reflects senior leader focus and improved victim confidence, not an increase in crime. we continue to work to be a national leader on sexual assault prevention and response. we understand and we acknowledge the problem. we provide professional advocacy to victims and empower them to report. we provide an avenue for confidential reporting. we conduct independent investigations. and as we -- as reflected in this year's report, we measure our effectiveness and report progress publicly and transparently, and we will continue to do so. we'll always remember that behind these numbers there are real soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have been victimized by this terrible crime. to those that are working so

hard to create an environment in our armed forces that is based on our values, that hold our troops to high standards and reject sexist behaviors, sexual harassment, and crude or offensive behavior, thank you. you are the standard-bearers, and your efforts are making a difference. but we can, and we must do more. help create the climate where our people do not look the other way when standards are breached and lead your troops in a way that inspire them to step up and act. i'd like to close with two messages, one to victims of this crime and the other to the offenders. first, to the victims. for those of you that have been a victim of this crime, i want you to know that we are working very hard to establish a climate where these assaults do not happen. if you have been a victim, please, please reach out to your local [sexual assault response coordinator] (sarc), victim

advocate, a health care professional, or the department of defense safe help line. we want you to get the support you need. you will be treated with the privacy you desire, the sensitivity you deserve, and the seriousness that this crime demands. to the offenders committing this crime, we don't care who you are or what rank you hold. if you don't understand our core values and are not prepared to live by and enforce those values every day, then we don't want you in our military. let me say it one more time: we expect every service member to live by the values and standards we set. and if you're not prepared to accept this responsibility, then you should leave. thank you for your attention. >> dr. galbreath, who's the primary author of this report, will now join me, and we'd be happy to take your questions. bob? >> general, bob burns from ap. you made the point that you

don't believe that this large increase in the number of crimes reported reflects any increase in actual crimes committed. how do you know that? >> okay, here's why i say that. i mean, number one -- number one, we do a survey every two years. so you are correct in that there is no survey for this year. but we've done surveys since 2006, and the prevalence rate has been remarkably consistent. so, women have reported that between 4 percent and 7 percent report some form of unwanted sexual contact. in the case of men, it's been 1 percent to 2 percent. so that's why i don't believe the fact that the increase in reports constitutes an increase in crimes, but i'd like dr. galbreath to also amplify that. nate galbreath: for the sake of argument, let's look to the time when the department had a high prevalence rate.

in 2006, 6.8 percent of women and 1.8 percent of men indicated they experienced unwanted sexual contact in the year prior to being surveyed. that year, we only received reports from just short of 2,300 military members. this year, even given that prevalence rate, we had an increase in reporting. we are eroding away at the underreporting problem. maj. gen. snow: thanks. next question, please. chuck? >> i apologize if this is in the report; i haven't had a chance to read it all. maj. gen. snow: okay. >> and it's a bit of perhaps a delicate question, but i'm interested in the directive having to do -- that's focused on male victims. do you have any breakdown as to what share of these crimes are male-on-male and what share are female-on-male? maj. gen. snow: sure. do you want to do that one? mr. galbreath: absolutely.

there are two sources for this data in the department. if we look at our reports, the crimes that are reported, then only a very small percentage of the crimes that the department receives are male-on-male. however, we get a better picture of the types of crimes that males actually experience when we look at our survey data. so past survey data has shown -- because, once again, if you think about our problem as an iceberg, the tip of the iceberg is the reports that we receive every year. the remainder of the iceberg, or the iceberg in total, is the survey data. so just looking at the tip of the iceberg, we don't necessarily know what the whole nature of that problem could possibly be. if we look at our survey data, we see a bit different picture. as a matter of fact, in the 2010 survey, where we were able to have this kind of information and had very good response rates

from male victims, what we found is, is that 35 percent of men indicated their offender was another man, 40 percent indicated that their offender was a woman, and the remainder indicated that their offender were men and women acting together. >> maj. gen. snow: next question, please. >> secretary hagel said that there were 492, i think, reports that had occurred prior to their military service. >> maj. gen. snow: yes. >> that -- if my math -- if my math is correct, 4,679 -- so the 4,679 actually occurred -- the reports were that the assaults occurred in the calendar year of 2013, is that correct? or were some of those also prior to the year, but not -- but while the person was in military service? i guess what i'm trying to figure out is, how many reports did you have in 2013? >> mr. galbreath: absolutely. >> maj. gen. snow: okay. go ahead. >> mr. galbreath: yes, sir.

the reports that we had that we received this year, only 14 percent occurred more than a year prior to -- to the incident -- i mean, to being reported. so the vast majority of the cases -- of the cases that were reported this year we believe occurred within this calendar year or immediately prior to it. >> maj. gen. snow: just to clarify, i mean, so the secretary, in his comment, though, was actually referring to that 10 percent -- that was prior to military service, not prior to the calendar year. >> mr. galbreath: yes. >> maj. gen. snow: okay. >> okay. and then i'd also ask about the command action graph. so the number of court martials preferred went way up. do you have any numbers on how many of those led to successful convictions? and then can you also explain why -- and maybe it's just the court martials going up -- but why the non-judicial and the administrative actions and discharges went down so dramatically? >> maj. gen. snow: yeah, do you want to talk to that? >> mr. galbreath: absolutely. >> maj. gen. snow: it's really -- there's a lot more depth behind that one slide, i guess is to say. >> mr. galbreath: so of the court martials that went to -- that proceeded to court this year, 76 percent of offenders were convicted on at least one charge resulting out of that

court martial. now, that charge could have been for a penetrating offense, a non-penetrating offense, or for some other misconduct charge that wasn't sexual assault-related. so 76 percent of offenders were found guilty this year. now, the other question, remind me? >> maj. gen. snow: nonjudicial. >> why the nonjudicial and adverse administrative went down so much? >> mr. galbreath: absolutely. i believe that reflects the department's seriousness in looking at this crime. what we're finding is, is that the -- because of the underreported -- or reporting related to this crime, commanders rarely see these events out in the field. and so prior to the sexual assault prevention response program, few of them really knew the counterintuitive nature of this crime and how offenders worked, and we've been working very, very hard to educate them and also our criminal investigators and our attorneys

that work these crimes. we believe that what you see is a return on our investment that people are smarter about how sex offenders behave. they're no longer buying into the rape myths that are common in our society. and this is a direct reflection on our training and investment. >> and so the 76 percent of offenders who are convicted, that -- at least one charge could be -- just for argument's sake, it could be -- it could be anything that was related to this incident, like the alcohol. >> mr. galbreath: yes. >> okay, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a sexual charge -- a charge that's sexual in nature that they're convicted of. >> mr. galbreath: let me put it this way. the vast -- the majority of them were for a sexual assault offense, but, yes, some percentage were for other misconduct. >> maj. gen. snow: and that is broken out in the report. yes, sir? >> if i could follow up on that (off-mic) you know, of course, a lot of these cases are restricted reports, so don't result in any criminal investigation. can you give us a better sense -- flipping those numbers around -- of how many -- raw numbers -- cases actually go to court martial last year and, really, what numbers all part of where you know -- an offender's name is reported who is military don't result in any discipline? >> maj. gen. snow: okay, let me

-- i just want to do the first part of that. so, i mean, we do know on that number report -- and i think i said this, but the breakdown of those -- about 75 percent of them are unrestricted reports, so that prompts an investigation done, 25 percent are, in fact, the restricted report. so it allows them to get the care, but there's no investigation. >> but the percentages you've been giving are where you have enough evidence to move forward, so i guess i'm trying to flip that -- you know, these are really difficult cases to investigate and prosecute, but what percentage of cases don't result in any discipline, where you know the perpetrator was military? >> maj. gen. snow: sure, we do have that. it's not on the slide. it is detailed in the report. >> mr. galbreath: so the answer is, is that military commanders looked at 2,149 military offenders this year. >> you mean last year? >> mr. galbreath: excuse me, fy 13. >> maj. gen. snow: fy 13. >> mr. galbreath: okay.

out of that, 1,569, or 73 percent, received some kind of disciplinary action, okay? >> (off-mic) sexual assault suspects. >> mr. galbreath: yes. >> you're not lumping in harassment. >> mr. galbreath: no, sexual assault suspects, no harassment. these are people that were alleged to have perpetrated a penetrating or non-penetrating offense as defined by the uniform code of military justice. twenty-seven percent of those or -- did not go forward, because either the department didn't have sufficient evidence or the victim declined to participate in the crime or the matter was beyond our statute of limitations. okay? >> thank you. >> can i follow up? >> maj. gen. snow: sure. >> yeah, hi. so maybe -- this might be an oversimplification, but i'm just looking in to see if there's a comparison here. the biggest number i see is that 50 percent increase in reports all together, right? so was there an equal -- and whether they were convicted or not, was there a similar increase in the

number of cases that went to courts martial? so you've got 50 percent increase in the number of reports. are you seeing 50 percent more courts martial? >> maj. gen. snow: do you know the percentage, nate? you can just stand there-- i don't know what that -- what that breakdown is, but there is a corresponding increase. >> mr. galbreath: so keep in mind that our data reflects a bit of a time shift. when a report is made, and it's an unrestricted report, it's referred to the military criminal investigative organization for an independent investigation. that takes time. so there's a bit of a time lag between our reports that we receive and the action that is taken, because we have to gather evidence, interview witnesses and victims, and process the evidence in the crime lab. so, yes, this year, that 2,149 of people that we reviewed this year, that compares to 1,714 people who were subjects that we looked at last year for disciplinary action. so, yes, that's increased by a

percent. i won't do your public math, but what i will tell you is. >> it's not 50. >> mr galbreath: it's not 50. but, again, just keep in mind that there is a lag, so we're going to be looking for a similarly great number next year. >> maj. gen. snow: yes, sir, in the back? >> when you talk about that number -- and craig mentioned it -- the 2,149 service members that were identified as under legal jurisdiction and suspected of sexual assault, and you carry that through, i think the number of people actually convicted of the court martial is 370, maybe, and then the number that were convicted of a sexual offender qualifying crime was something like 197. i guess this is for you, general snow. are you satisfied with those numbers as a proportion of the investigations that the system is allowed to get into? do you feel like -- i mean, setting aside the number of victims that step forward, do you feel like the cases that are carried through to the conclusion of significant disciplinary action, is that -- is that working as

well as you'd like? >> maj. gen. snow: i think we have taken steps to address different aspects of the program. i mean, one of the things we talked about is the -- is the training we've done for investigators to get them more sensitive, to the individuals that are actually conducting these investigations. i think there's been corresponding -- there's been training for the prosecuters. each one of these crimes is very unique, and it's tried based on the merits of that case. and so -- i mean, i don't know that -- it's not a question of whether i'm satisfied or not. what i would say is, the victims are getting their day in court, and the results are the results. i think -- so we're doing the right things, i think, on the front end to get the victims the support that they need so they can make an informed decision. we're doing the right thing to train the investigators and the prosecutors. but these things -- these things play out in court in.

mr. galbreath: our justice system has a very high bar. >> maj. gen. snow: yes. >> mr. galbreath: it does. it's beyond a reasonable doubt. and so in order for an attorney to take a case to court, they have to have a strong belief ethically that a crime has been committed and sufficient evidence to demonstrate that that occurred. and so as a result, because of our justice system, that's how these cases play out, and that's the way that they should be, because the department is invested in making sure that justice is balanced. >> maj. gen. snow: sir, tom? >> maj. gen. snow: yeah, hi, tom. >> could you talk a little bit about the decision behind standardizing the sensitive position screening? as you know, the army disqualified 588 soldiers, and you're going to be expanding their criteria, as i understand it, to the other services. do you expect that more troops are going to be disqualified from these positions? >> maj. gen. snow: that possibility certainly exists. but i -- what i would share with

this is -- and, tom, i can share with you the actual directive that came out on this. what happened is, is there's a requirement to do this. we actually did this for sarcs and victim advocates. each of the services had a requirement to do this. and, in fact, what we learned is each of them, they did it. they accomplished what the secretary asked them to do. but in the process of doing so, there were kind of best practices. and it prompted a conversation which i think is good. one of the benefits of having a program like this is -- you heard the secretary say, well, we hold ourselves accountable. one of those things is, when the services are told to do something and screen this, and then they come back and we talk about it, what we identified is each of them went about it a little bit differently. and so the secretary took all that and said, you know what, i think we can learn from this and take the best practices, if you

will, and expand that. and that's what his directive has done, is to identify those positions and actually go out and do further research. that's what the directive says, to then come back with them and determine, how were we going to standardize? what are the actual positions? we've done that, but then what are the actual screening criteria associated with that? i don't know if that answers your question. >> well, did you find -- did the army find that there was a particular sort of position, a recruiter, for example, that the other services weren't looking at that, that there were problems in those ranks that needed to be examined? >> maj. gen. snow: you know, i would -- i would actually ask you -- and defer to the army to answer that specific question. there was a breakout. i mean, we -- we specifically were looking at -- at sarc and victim advocates. they, in fact, expanded it to recruiters and trainers. so that possibility does exist,

but i'll leave it to the army to kind of walk you through their numbers. let's go -- i'm sorry. i'm not going to say you. i'm going to say you, because i didn't pick you. >> general, stephanie (off-mic) what can you tell us about the accused or the offenders? do you have any data on, like, who they are generally, their rank, by service? is it more -- i mean, obviously, the army is the biggest branch, but are these higher-ranking guys or service members, men and women, who are being accused? are they lower? their age? any data on who they are? >> maj. gen. snow: i'm going to actually defer to dr. galbreath on that. i think the age demographic is pretty consistent. >> mr. galbreath: it's very consistent. the vast majority of our offenders are somewhere between the rank of e-1 and e-9. and -- but i would tell you that that's -- you know, when we capture things by rank-banding, it's not quite as precise. so if we take a look at our ages, the vast majority of our

offenders are between the ages of 18 and 35. and so. >> and what does that -- what does that say to you? >> mr. galbreath: i mean, not the whole military. it's the lower age ranges in the -- in the department. clearly, this is very consistent with what we see in the civilian community, as well, that our victims tend to be e-1 to e-4, between the ages of 18 and 25. our offenders tend to be a little bit older and a little bit higher in rank, but, you know, most of them are peer or near-peer crimes that occur. so these are people that work with each other every day. you know, the numbers that we see that were announced by the white house this last week are very similar to what we see in the military, as far as who -- the demographics of the crime. these are -- you know, 90 percent of the people, the offenders, work with the victim in the military. these are not strangers. these are people that they know, that they work with every day, and they trust.

and that's why this -- it makes this crime such a horrible one. >> jamie crawford with cnn. i was just curious if you could expand a little more on what you attribute the erosion of the underreported number to. is it an environment where victims feel more comfortable coming forward? is it expansion of tools? just what -- what do you attribute that to? >> maj. gen. snow: i can do that. i'll tell you, i think there's two things that we can attribute -- i mean, one, that this was clear direction from the secretary to address this particular issue. so there's two things. one, i'd attribute it to the senior leader emphasis. and by that, senior leader emphasis, we're talking about ultimately something that's got to get all the way down, okay? but it starts at the top, and so that senior leader emphasis and focus and then getting that and driving that throughout the department i think is one thing. the second thing is, we have done a number of things to enhance victim confidence,

whether it's legal representation -- i mean, literally, i can get with you offline and give you a laundry list, but the culmination of those two things, the senior leader focus and the number of things that enhance victim confidence we think are responsible. this is not an accident that there's a 50 percent increase in reporting. do you want to amplify that? >> mr. galbreath: sir, i would agree with that. i've been with sapro since 2007 in one form or another. i was the first military deputy of the -- director of the office. and what i would offer to you is, what has changed on the horizon is that senior leader focus. we talk to everyone in the department on this issue now. the secretary of defense, the deputy -- the acting deputy secretary of defense, and other -- and all four -- all of the joint chiefs of staff are all fully engaged on this, like they never have been before. and we really do believe that this is -- people have heard

their message and are coming forward as a result of that. >> maj. gen. snow: if i could add -- just say one more thing to that, jamie. you know, one of the things i try and do is get out and circulate to spend time with each of the services. obviously, i've grown up predominantly in the army, but this has given me an opportunity to go out and spend time with each of the services. i've had the opportunity to do that, and i'll tell you, i see a level of dialogue and a conversation about this particular crime that, quite frankly, i did not see as recent as when i was last in command, okay? and so i think the environment has changed. i think leaders are really working very, very hard and coming to grips. i think it's attributed to the effort to train them better, okay. some of this is not intuitive, and so they've -- each of the services have gone after this to make sure that their leaders are trained, so it's a combination of those, but it's not by accident.

next question, please? >> mcclatchy newspapers. senator mccaskill of missouri is out with a statement. her response to this report is pretty similar to the pentagon's response, which is that it reflects a greater trust, greater confidence from victims. she's also claiming that, even though congress has not passed her law, the senate has passed it, the house has not passed it, that the pentagon has already -- is already implementing the provisions or some of the provisions of her law. is that true? and can you talk about whether you've worked with her and her staff and have consulted with her and her staff? >> maj. gen. snow: i shall take that one. and what i would say is, one, we really admire the passion and the partnership we've had with congress on this particular issue. as to the specific of the pending legislation, we're not going to talk about the pending legislation. okay. >> have you consulted at all with senator mccaskill and her staff? has she been involved?

>> maj. gen. snow: i wouldn't say consulted. but one of the things that we do do -- and work very hard to do -- is make sure that -- that we're -- they are informed and that they understand. as a matter of fact, this morning, my deputy was over on the hill talking to them about this report. so not so much consulting, but in terms of informing them and giving -- and sharing our thoughts. and the other thing is, i do think this is interesting. this partnership is very, very powerful. the secretary has been very clear on this in terms of, there's a number of things that have started up as initiatives within the department to address some aspect of our program. many of those have been codified in law. so we're -- it's going to take all of us working on this particular issue to address it. and we appreciate the partnership. >> your deputy was on the hill consulting with them. were you talking about senator mccaskill? >> maj. gen. snow: not consulting. this is not -- we've got a

responsibility to inform them about this. this is -- brief them on the results of the report. >> them being all? >> maj. gen. snow: them being all, not specific to senator mccaskill. i think that -- i suspect, if she was not there herself, a member of her team was. so the one more question. yes? >> hi, jon harper with stars and stripes. regarding your alcohol policy review, can you talk about some specific steps you're considering taking? are you going to try to restrict service members' access to alcohol? are you going to crack down on alcohol-related offenses, like intoxication, drunk driving, those kinds of things? and also, would it be possible to get a breakdown of the accused perpetrators in terms of the percentage of officers versus enlisted? and actually, can you -- do you know that off the top of your head? >> mr. galbreath: yes. (laughter) yeah, i -- well, i will tell you -- i will refer you for the actual percentages to the report itself. it's in the section, the demographic section, that will give you a drill-down of exactly what the percentages are. but the vast majority of our accused offenders are enlisted. and i -- and less than a quarter, i believe, are officers, far less than a quarter. but please go to the report and get the actual -- the actual data. and one of the things -- you know, i'm glad you asked that question about alcohol, because what you suggested are really the traditional ways of trying to approach this problem is --

and look at the problems associated with individual use. this last october, the prevention team and i spent a lot of time with the centers for disease control and prevention. and we asked them, what we can do different? what else is out there? what can we do? and they referred to us for two very promising practices. and you can google these yourself and -- and look at them and see what you think. but bottom line is that, in the state of california, they have what's called responsible beverage service. and this is training providers to understand how people consume alcohol, what its effects are on the body, and how to maybe be -- serve people in a way that diminishes those impacts -- those effects on the body so that they don't get intoxicated as quickly. for example, whenever someone serves a drink, they also provide a menu to someone to maybe eat something to slow the absorption of alcohol into the system. the -- those are just examples.

also, you look at times associated with when you sell things. do you really need to sell someone five fifths of bourbon at 2 o'clock in the morning? probably not. but at the -- but, again, the communities that use these approaches -- actually, we looked at some of the outcome data that was shared with the cdc, and they have seen some decrease in -- in violent crime associated with these policies. and the last one, the second place that we've looked at is the state of arizona. it's called safer bars initiative. and you can look at that yourself, but, again, it's kind of the ideas of what do we do to make these environments where people consume alcohol more safe and make the risk of sexual assault and other violent crime less likely? >> can i have one more numbers question, actually? >> maj. gen. snow: can i just -- one other comment. as to the actual -- you know, i'll share the directive with you -- but each of these, there's a suspense associated with that directive where the

services actually come back and brief the secretary and share their findings. so as to whether or not what revisions and the specificity of the revisions, i mean, each of the services are committed to looking at this. i mean, again, this was done very collaboratively. as to what changes will actually be made, that's yet to be determined. okay, i. >> report, i apologize. the 76 percent who -- who were convicted of at least one charge, do you have any numbers of how many of those actually did jail time? >> mr. galbreath: yes, as a matter of fact. if you give me two seconds. >> maj. gen. snow: while he's doing that, if i could just make this point -- and i -- it is very difficult. i could show you the volume of this report, okay, and part of our effort to transparency, so what i -- i would really encourage you to spend some time, because some of those questions in the breakdown are numbers -- we consciously didn't want to take you down there [in this briefing], because i can

lose you in the percentage numbers, but they are all detailed in there, okay? so i encourage you to do that. go ahead. >> mr. galbreath: so 73 percent of subjects convicted at court martial this year received confinement. but i would also offer to you that it depends on the crime that is prosecuted. and what we saw is, is that for the more serious crimes, for the penetrating crimes, we saw a vast majority getting jail time, as high as 94 percent. so that's -- the average over all the different kinds of crimes kind of waters it down a little bit. when you look at the actual crimes that are the most serious, they were getting jail time at a very high rate. maj. gen. snow: okay. thank you very much for your attention. >> c-span's newest book. a collection of the top story tellers. >> in the beginning of the war when you are pressed into it you are afraid of holding the gun. but when you went to the first battle and you kill and shoot

somebody it does something to you. it is very difficult in the beginning. but after time went on, it became easy and normalized; this work. and this is what happens. you normalize the situation so you love through it. >> ishmael beah talked to us. >> this past week, 30 people were killed by tornados across six states. senator pryor vised the combhunts -- visited the communities in arkansas and came to the floor with first-hand knowledge. >> i come today with a psalm and

story. it is one of the most famous in scripture. in a time like this, i wanted to read song 23 and i will tell you why and that is the lord is my shepherd and makes me lay in green pastures and restores my soul. he leaves me in rightiousness. even though i walk through the shadow of death, i will feel no evil. and you are with me. you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies and you anoint my head and my cup overflows. mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life and i will dwell

in the house of the lord forever. at 7:06 p.m. a tornado touchdowned on thesaline line near little rock. passed through a town called mayflu flowers. we are told it was an e-f 4 and had 190 mile per hour speeds. we lost 19 arkansas and we will never forget them and it is a such a loss. mark bradley, jaime collins, helen greer, jeffrey hunter,

dennis lavern, glenna lavern, david malory, robert oliver, cameron smith, tyler smith, rob tittle, rebecca tittle, tory tittle and daniel wasam. madam president, you can see and hear from those names nat a lot of these were family members and members of a few communitys in my state. i want to thank my colleagues first because many called and reached out in various ways. some covered meetings for me. senator jack reed of rod. -- rhode island -- cover ad meeting for me. and we have had people from outside of arkansas that reached

out. i know our governer has fielded calls from around the country and our emergency management folks have been reached out by others. we neighbor several states who have gone through this before. one of those is missouri. i see my colleagues from missouri in the chamber. people from missouri, people from oklahoma. and we have helped those states in their time of need. it was so appreciating that the folks came and helped arkansas. we appreciate it very much. and the federal officials reached out. i was in the car with our governer with the president called and that meant a lot. and they were able to work through federal and state issues on the phone and that was great. secretary jay johnson called the governor and i talked to him

that same day and he came in -- excuse me, he is trying to come in and the director of fema came in the next day and we appreciate him and the attention and resources they bring. the work is just beginning. i see my colleague from louisiana, i don't know if any state understands better about recovering from a widespread disaster. i want to thank and knowledge the thousands of arkansans who made a different. i want to mention one group and that is the tv weather people. as soon as the storms were in the area and they went wall to wall coverage and i talk today so many folks in mayflower and other areas where they said we

watch on tv and we can see exactly what saved us. we knew what was coming. the sirens were going and i was at a dinner in little rock. we heard the sirens, radio weather and we turned on the television and watched it like everyone else. the department of management have been good and adem has been fun phenomenal. we have a system called rocode d and that worked well. we had first responders that rolled in immediately and that was great. the national guard was activated and they showed up. it is so reassureing to the

community to see those men in uniforms. there were police cars and fire trucks and everything in arkansas and it was great to see that. i know that one of the real unsung heroes in this is every day ordinary arkansans. they came and brought chainsaws and they checked kids out of school to go help. and you know they rolled out and streamed in to help. and then we had other folks, too many to mention, but some of the state agencies under appreciated on this. the arkansas fish commission, the forestry commission had people there clearing the way and knocking things down. the utilities sprung into action. and even though power was down for a good while. i think we had about 35,000 customers or so what power for a little while. they got thereat taken care of.

... have intergy brought people in from other states, got their contracts going. one of the things i noticed, madam president, is the churches. the churches really are prepared for this, and part of their mission. i did notice that the state baptist convention has what they call a mobile mass feeding unit. in the first three days, they fed 4,300 hot meals in velonia alone. i don't know what they were doing in other places, but it was great for the volunteers that were helping and also the families there to be able to go get a hot meal. of course, salvation army and red cross, all of them really rolled out and helped. again, these two senators who are here in the chamber with me are here in the chamber with me again, these two senators of been through these tragedies before and of the insurance industry rules out temporary thing as with phlox of people with clipboards and cameras. the wireless companies came and put up temporary towers because

a lot of those were knocked down charging stations and things like that. walmart, the largest company based in arkansas, came with truckloads of water, diapers, snacks, various kinds of the nation's, you know, baby wipes, batteries, flashlights, whenever people the did. tyson foods is another one of our great arkansas companies. and have a program they called meals that matter. they do three meals a day. i saw the tracks there at the mayflower school where they were set up. this big charges sitting there. everyone was carrying around. was the one? that one right there is just full of ice. they have led to these tragedies of the things that ice is in short supply so to try to keep things called and give people

something cool to drink is very important. anyway, we could talk about this or a long time because seeing those people and see what they have gone through, was there the next morning with the governor and a number of other people, the attorney general. madam president, it was very emotional. a man in a lost his mother. then again at the same time others are rejoicing to be safe and to have the lines. and and that one and i talked to who i never even got his name, his station and barack air force base, he said he looked out his front door and saw the storm bearing down on the house with no way to avoid it. he grabbed his kids, through them in the bathtub, covered is get supplicants. he said for about 45 seconds it sounded like they had an f-16 in the house.

and when it stopped finally took the blankets off. at this point there were not in the bathrooms anymore. they were in the garage. the roof had collapsed and they could not get out. before long they heard some neighbors calling for them and were able to dig a tunnel and get those three girls out men and he got. you know, just got out with scratches, but it is an amazing story of perseverance. i know that the day after the storm or two days after the storm their is a local hardware store their called h. b. true value hardware, and that building was shaken to its foundations. the merchandise was good. this was this man's entire career, his entire working life was right there in that building , a local hardware store that he was planning to turn over to is daughter. they were getting their merchandise out and trying to get it into some sort of storage

that is a real life to you know, better for them. we tried to help. our members standing up by the curve in front of what used to be someone's home. it was just a pile of rubble. at first when you look at that all you see is debris. you're i cannot even focus on it. then when you sit there and take a moment and look, i look down there and said, there is ceiling fan motor. the blades are gone, but they're is a ceiling fan motor. right there, gosh, i see lagos, an upside-down st. it is a family portrait, whether it is this family, or that family, or one from a mile away. nonetheless, a family portrait laying in the middle of the street. i know that one of the things i saw as i stood there and saw what used to be a hal's. there was the front door and the

door frame. it was big. astute. the steps going up to the house, but there was no house there. you just think about that, those people, their house is completely gone. they have to rebuild. i did hear a story that was going around the summer of the volunteers out there working, a family that survived when their dog survived. the way the dog survived was that as the tornado was sitting there on they grabbed the dog by caller. he was trying to fly l0 was left of the house. they held on to the dog. a lot of times to go up to a house or a house was, and it is just a concrete slab. you think is dead, how did anybody survive, but they do? and i went to a friend of mine's

farm, really good guy, a pillar of the community can a person. i saw that. he lost everything, his own, all of his vehicles, he had the big farms, will we call a shop, metal building. as in the you know, steel girders and it. had never seen this before with the tornado, but when they built that metal building, of course, the bill be scarce to hold up and deciding-trade stuff, and the roofing build. the steel is twisted. that is pretty bad. that takes a lot of force. what i had never seen before is the footings of the buildings were these huge concrete walls with a double, filled the concrete, stuck the girders and. this tornado actually picked up

those balls out of the year if. they were picked up and set down a few feet away from the big hole in the ground. that is an amazing amount of force. that is what an f for does. it did not just knocked down buildings, it obliterated them. the beautiful thing about our state is that it did not obliterate people's dreams. we talked to one woman and said, well, this is -- this was my dream house, with the amazing thing was a new phrase has been created of this. they called it art and strong. people in our state are resilient. they are strong people, scrappers. part of being strong is to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, dust yourself off and allow and do more that day and work for your family, but also the one

element of being strong is about neighbor helping neighbor. we saw that in abundance. to say that -- to be allowed to sit there in your front yard, and you have no worldly possessions left. it looks like your pickup truck has been be with 20 men with hammers. for you to sit there and your house in ruins with nothing left end to like me and say, well, it's just stuff, that takes a strong person. that is someone who has the right perspective, he see the bravery and selfless in generosity, and you know why these amazing people, why am so very, very proud to be there senator. i am also proud of the said because it was not too long ago that we voted for disaster relief. we now have sufficient funds.

everyone knows it will be the last one. let me ) started. the lord is my shepherd. i shall not want. he makes me to lie down in green pastures. there are green pastures out of this command our people about those and will continue to be finding those as york to this. a very comforting thing. they need to be covered it right now. one thing and looked up is the definition is that of physical aspect of person. it's a person's emotional and moral nature. the most private thoughts and feelings are hidden. the complex of human attributes

that meant that -- manifest as consciousness, feeling, thought, and will. restores my soul, leads me down paths of righteousness for his namesake even though i walk through the valley of the shadow death, and i can guarantee you those people in arkansas know that they have what trevelyan the shadow of death is i will fear no evil. your rod and your staff they comfort me. you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies and annoyed by had with the oil. my cup overflows, and i will tell you, the attitude of people in my state, there cub, even though it has been a difficult week, there cub is overflowing with blessings continued to come this surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and i shall draw in the house of the lord forever. having that internal perspective will get a lot of these people through that. i wanted thank you again think

all of my colleagues the willingness to help, offers to citizens, all of the things that make up the senate family. with that i know of a couple of colleagues who were waiting to speak. >> we will be taking a look at a new book by c-span sundays at 8:00. c-span digital media web editor joins us on our new boat. us is. guest: >> it is our eighth selection. the main reason to do the book is to share the stories this season as cover over the years s c-span has covered over the years. and sunday evening program became it q and 15 years later. the stories that have been told are worth ringing from the

screen to the printed page. what stories are you telling here? guest: there is a step in breath but have not been in previous books. we have five sections in the book beginning with stories. we have american history. have media and society, money and politics in post 9-11 america. the book formed its and shape itself. the books themselves and stories are kind of a reflection of the times and that in breath of book notes and to a day over the years. lex what is the format of the book and how did it come together? > guest: you have one guest for one hour and you go through an in-depth discussion and on whether it is up public policy issue or what have you. what we did is we took out the

questions. they are there to facilitate answers. they fade away at a certain point. the answers are what matters. a minimal amount of editing we have allowed the guest in their own words to articulate their own story or viewpoint. whatever the issue or story is and let it speak for itself. what the viewer will get is basically the answers and and guest in their own words. host: what are some of your favorite stories? guest: it was a path of discovery for me and the team working on this. so many fascinating stories. just to mention one in particular, crystal right, the editor and publisher of wasrvativeblackchick.com talking about her politics and upbringing in virginia and how she was influenced by her

parents. one thing we all know about this from american history is the isa parks moment where she forced to give up her seat and then you have history unfolding before you in the south. she said her mother said to her, before that happened i had my own rosa parks moment. she said what do you mean? she said i got on the bus in richmond and went to the back of and sat down and an older white gentleman got on the bus and asked me to give up my seat and she said what he wants me to do? i am rad at the back of the bus. what you have wrapped up in that moment was personal history, politics of public private policy. ofs is an extension everything we do here. a candid moment in an extended interview and revealed something

about the guest that was fascinating and something about the country and the country's history. where can people learn more about the book and watch the interviews that have taken place over the years? guest: you can go to all the interviews at www.c-span.org /sundayat8 you can click on any of the toes or images and be able watch the transcript. watch clips. you can watch those and read about the authors themselves. if they have websites you can look at that. quite a lot of information there. i think people will find it useful and interesting. 8:00.sunday at people can buy it now. what happens to the loyalties. they go to the

educational foundation here at c-span. there are no profits. this was a collaborative effort. hats.ar a lot of there were a lot of people involved in the process from people who make the program-two people who edited the interviews and work with brian to make it all come together. all of the proceeds go back into the continuation of the work that c-span does, and that is basically the educational foundation. emmanuel touhey, >> you can now take c-span with you wherever you go with our free c-span radio app for your smart phone or tablet. listen to all three c-span tv channels or c-span radio in the time, and they're is a schedule of each of our network so you can tune in when you want, bipod

casts of recent shows former signature programs like after words, the communicators, and q&a. take c-span with you wherever you go to download your free at on-line for your iphone, android, blackberry. >> c-span2 providing live coverage of the u.s. at that club receding into public policy events and every weekend book tv now for 15 years the only television network devoted to nonfiction books and authors. c-span created by the cable-tv industry and brought to you as a public service by your local cable satellite provider. watch as in hd, like us on facebook, follows on twitter. >> recent violence and ethnic cleansing has claimed thousands of lives in the central african republic. one of the world's poorest countries. a u.n. peacekeeping mission is not expected to arrive until september. the house foreign affairs committee held hearings on the

crisis with the witnesses from the state department and non-governmental organizations working in the region. this is two hours and 45 minutes. >> hour hearing addresses an extremely critical topic this morning, the worsening crisis in the central african republic where untold lives hang in the balance. the window for action is narrowing each and every day. this is not the first hearing we have had on the central african republic. this follows a perry we held last november. of course, many of us, like our distinguished witnesses, have been an ongoing in numerous meetings with bishops, imams, humanitarian ngos, diplomats, and interested parties. i would note that at our november hearing acting assistant secretary robert jackson will again testified to date stated that the cpr was in a pre genocide stage. since that time mr. jackson

spoke to us, the situation appears to have gone demonstrably worse. we will hear again today from secretary jackson who will up to it as bluntly on the situation on the ground but also won a change in policy that i believe reflects the course of action that we had recommended that the administration undertake last november, namely the united nations peacekeepers be introduced into the country as the existing african force has been serving for too many vested interests. hopefully such an intervention will not come too late as we are witnessing a country that is in rapid disintegration. apparently descending from a pre genocide stage, one characterized by word almost too painful to articulate, genocide. for any country that for decades has been characterized by brutal misrule and brazen corruption we're seeing for the first time sectarian divisions such as never existed before. economic tensions and robbery

over land use has always existed, but it has given way to a butchery based on religion and ethnic affiliation. this is happening at a time when we mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide in rwanda. when that country was being turned into a massive killing field, the world stood idly by while president clinton in the u.n. peacekeeping chief and actionable intelligence information that could have prevented or at least minimized the genocide but chose callas that cause the slaughter. i have a series of hearings on rwanda. we heard from people who said, we had the information in hand. general blair was there on the ground willing to take effective action to curtail what turned out to be a part of a million people were slaughtered. with that information, again, that could have been prevented or at least a largely mitigated. when the blood stopped flowing

the world looked at the corpses piled high and were shocked. never again was a phrase that was on everyone's lips. ladies and gentlemen, it is happening again, as we know, as our distinguished witnesses know and will bear witness to today. the question before us is whether the phrase never again is will we simply used to pay lip service, nothing is being done or not enough and whether or not we are going to act decisively. we do have two distinguished witnesses from state here today. as i mentioned, acting assistant secretary jackson and also ann richards, assistant secretary for population refugees and migration. while the state department is sending two people to testify, very encouraging as it shows a heightened commitment to the issues of the questions will be in to -- asking him to answer, about what are we doing but are we doing enough. 2012 the administration created an atrocity prevention board following a presidential study directed me to have correctly

stated at preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest in the core moral responsibility of the united states. the epb is supposed to provide early warning of mass atrocities and mobilized interagency resources to stop such atrocities. where has the board ben? we take our eyes off of the ball because -- perhaps because we are confronted by too many other crises? we have taken some steps including of the rising waters $70 million in humanitarian and peacekeeping aid, something we hope to hear more about from our government witnesses. are such resources adequate given the magnitude of the problem? we have a situation in a country with a population of roughly 5 million people, over 1 million of which are at risk of starvation, two and a half million are estimated in need of other forms of humanitarian assistance. that is nearly half the country.

we are seeing ethnic cleansing whereby all villages are being emptied and the countryside laid waste. there are more than 600,000 internally displaced persons in the cr, plus more than 320,000 others who are refugees in neighboring countries. the situation has worsened, the total number of those displaced has doubled since that time we held our hearing last november when it was estimated at four under 60,000 nationals to placed . the accurate numbers killer hard to come by. upper witnesses will be able to a shed light on that. we are told an estimated 200,000 people have been killed since december alone, but i believe that number is probably a conservative estimate. but reports we do receive, however, are bloodcurdling. ice was reported on an attack of a muslim neighborhood in the town of corona in the early morning hours of february 1st

by so-called anti block a forces the father recounted how, as the family was fleeing, he sighs 10-year-old boy shot in the leg and fall them. the child was then set upon by men with machetes who had ten until it was dead. four days later it was reminiscent of the massacre. a group of persons who were in hiding. they separated the men from the women and small children and executed the men, 45 of them, using machetes and in choosing -- shooting those who live on it through the decades of the cnr has been beset by violence and is greuel such that it is a new phenomenon. how did the country get to this point? what began as a political coup d'etat in march 2013 against former president francois by michele tow quickly took on a

religious and ethnic overtones. as we detailed in our march hearing, came to power with the military backing of some 25,000 men, 90 percent of came from chance again been caused to the for invasion force. they do not speak the local language and are living in a nation that is over 80 percent christian arab allies on muslim. middleton none had previously existed. what began to happen was a redneck -- reactionary backlash. since then retaliatory outrages committed and escalated in the muslim civilians and had nothing to do became targets. as in the case previously whole

neighborhoods in the capitol city and all villages have been cleansed of their populations. as it we will hear from are witnesses there are numerous causes including a fight to control conflict minerals. one, for example, is a mining area. thus the economic tough economic motives are work. on one novel it is true religious fervor and dedication that provides the greatest for peace and reconciliation in the central african republic. some of your coffee months ago three greater religious leaders came to washington as well as to new york, the united nations especially one was a muslim imam .

the three spoke, and i met with them, as did so many others and was absolutely impressed and in all of their fervor to bring peace and reconciliation to a country and to do just like the christian and muslims are trying to do, what we saw as outrageous . met with the imam there as well as the catholic who had joined arms and link hand-in-hand their communities to say no to the extremism on either side. the same positive and to religious dialogue occurring here in the sierra. finally i want to relate to you a story about another man of god , some wonder those of you who attended our november hearing will remember. two weeks ago was holy week. holy thursday the bishop testify that are hearing and was

visiting in how wind pears along with three of his priests. traveling on the road by gunmen his leader had occupied his city he accused the bishop of having thwarted his plans and working with international peacekeepers. he then sentenced him in the other three priests to execution and death. the gunman removed his large cross around his neck. you might remember when he sat where you send he wore that cross around his neck. the four men were placed in a truck and were then driven north to the border with chad with the order to be carried out. on the way to the gallows the truck was dropped. this time commanded by another warlord who actually knew the bishop and knew that he was a true humanitarian and metopes and that the bishop provided for

over 35,000 displaced people in his parish. whether there were parishioners or not. he ordered the bishops and priests freed and three those efforts of international aid organizations and peacekeepers were helicoptered back to his home parish in time for good friday. the story hit home with me, and i am sure it will for others to know him. here is someone who i and other shared coffee with, prayed for him, and then heard him give powerful testimony. his call was to get those peacekeepers, he said, we need peacekeepers to will stop carnage and do it immediately. and grateful that he survived. it just underscores how everyone is at risk, clergy, bishop, they

are all at risk. we need to redouble our effort. again, i think our witnesses. i yield to my friend and colleague. >> thank you for your of this committee and convening this hearing on the central african republic and the prospects of the ongoing conflicts. i would also like to thank our distinguished witnesses including ambassador jackson and richard chair of the u.s. department of state as well as a range of experts. i look forward to hearing your perspective on the ongoing crisis in the central african republic including getting in abcaeight on humanitarian situation in the u.s. and humanitarian efforts to address the challenges. including the corporation with the african union and what is ultimately at stake is efforts

to quell the conflict are not implemented with sufficient resources and all deliberate speed. in april and have the honor of traveling to rwanda, burundi, and the central african republic as part of the central delegation to attend the 20th anniversary of the rwandan genocide. while on their central african publicly of the journey i witnessed firsthand much of the poverty, the chaos, and a lack of economic opportunity which in many ways give rise to much of the current conflict. in addition to upending the rwanda genocide memorial, we went to the cnr. it is my understanding in traveling with ambassador power that was the first time the cabinet level official ever traveled to the nation. we know with a group of muslims and christians. it was really just tragic to hear their testimonies and their

stories. there was one woman who spoke with us and talked about how she lost both of her children. her son left that afternoon to get to the market and never came home. her daughter was found later murdered. she was on muslim woman who was not afraid to leave her house. you have on many occasions talked about the persecution of christians. it is reported that over 90 percent of the population has been driven and the country which was a situation herself / going after looking at. winfrey we bit off with the present a huge she talked about our own security was not stable. she was frightened. we remember that because many of

you here of what your testimony today were part of that delegation. tsk we do know that while much has been made of the religious leaders of the conflict, the differences and religious ideologies or not the origin of the crisis which reflect complex tensions over access to resources, control over trade in land and issues of national identity. you certainly have their hearing and talked about the religious leaders that were year as an example of how we know that people there and leaders there really do want to resolve the situation in a peaceful way. as we prepare to year from today's witnesses, i hope we can learn critical lessons from the vast experience and use them to increase support for the most effective measures to bring an end to the conflicts in the central african republic, and when we do listen to the witnesses i am hoping that you will provide guidance for ross in terms of if there is anything else that we can do in congress.

as always, i am committed to working toward this and working with my colleagues in washington and on the continent to find a peaceful solution. >> at thank my good friend for her eloquent statement. to underscore, as a deterrent to do in my opening statement, will we have tried to do, when i did another chairmanship, but let me say clear and unambiguously any sectarian violence is to be aboard, condemned, fought against, struggle against. what i have tried to do is emphasize as that was happening and immediately thereafter when muslims were targeted simply because there were muslim and tried to make very clear today that both sides of extremism that are slaughtering people because of their religious faith or ethnicity are to be condemned and held to account.

and just parenthetically i will say to my colleague, yes to this committee approved legislation i have been pushing since september that would create a war tribunal would mirror the great work that was done in sierra leone. i would go after both sides. i would like to yields to my friend and colleague. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i am ready to get going and anxious to hear witnesses. >> i would like to introduce to our distinguished witnesses beginning first with ambassador robert jackson previously served as ambassador to cameron. , has also worked in zimbabwe, portugal, canada.

he has worked in commercial and concert sections. oversight and the office of promotion and democracy after 9/11. a part of the record as a very distinguished. help through 2012. as the previous government service includes time in the state department, the peace corps, and the budget, worked at the council on foreign relations . a group that we hear from often. mr. ambassador, if you could begin. >> thank you very much, chairman , ranking member, other members of the subcommittee for this opportunity is testify again about the central effort of the republic.

since i last appeared before you we have grown more concerned with the into religious violence that continues between the two throughout the central african republic. the united states remains committed to working with the transitional authority and the international community to end the violence in build a transitional process leading to the establishment of a legitimate elected government in cr. destroyed the traditionally amicable relationship between christians and muslims. fighters were little more than mercenaries, bandits command criminals who sustain themselves by looting, killing, kidnapping, and pillaging the country which is 85-90 percent christian.

while the rebellion did not begin as a religiously based movement intent on targeting christians the disproportionate impact of extreme violence and the population led to the establishment of christian self-defense militias. this began to engage in revenge killing first against rebels, then against presumed supporters and then indiscriminately against muslim and their religious fights. the resignation occurred only after his rule had bankrupted the government and left a path of destruction and lawlessness that pervades the entire country today. you and agencies and human rights organizations have estimated that over 600,000 have been displaced since the beginning of this rebellion in late 2012.

since december 2013 we agree that at least two dozen people been killed and another 100,000 have fled the country to us since december. we are particularly concerned that the imminent threat against muslim civilians has forced many to abandon their homes and communities and is seeking help from you in humanitarian agency, the african union, and the french peacekeeping forces to relocate within the central african republic or to neighboring countries. just last weekend at the urging request of muslim civilians at the pk12 neighborhood peacekeeping force is transported over 1,002 and the people to towns in northern parts of the country as soon as those folks the parted the remaining local population attacked and destroyed the mosque and looted the homes of those who had not.

this forced relocation of muslims is deeply disturbing and fundamentally alters their religious composition and character. but violence unleashed and compounded may have permanently changed the historic tradition of religious tolerance and coexistence. an estimated 5-7000 muslims remain out of an estimated previous population of approximately 100,000, and only five of the 37 mosques are still standing. my colleague in richard, assistant secretary of state for population refugee for migration traveled on april 7th the humanitarian response.

if you allow me i would like to explain just what the u.s. government has done over the past month since our visit. to address and stem the communal violence. on april 8 the organization of islamic conference and the department of senior adviser led an interfaith delegation of religious leaders from the united states to demonstrate solidarity among religious communities and prague reconciliation for. in a show of support they promise sierra as well as representative suffer first renouncing violence and encouraging intercommunity in interreligious dialogue to mitigate tensions and lay the foundation for renewed peaceful coexistence. on april 9th ambassador to the

united nations demanded power and assistant secretary of state for african affairs made their second visit to the cnr in the span of four months. a ranking member best participated in the delegation visit kenwood is first hand the dire conditions in the country. during their visit ambassador power, assistant secretary thomas green peeled, and representative pass met with transitional president, commanders of the 7,000 strong african unit and french peacekeeping forces and members of civil society to express our continued and a lawyer for a determination to end the violence and support the reestablishment of legitimate gun. we pledge to work with the government and the international community to help prep ministration. we will work to establish local law enforcement, transition of justice and accountability

capability to it in punitive which has contributed to continued violence against civilians. we are pleased that several countries in the region, the world bank, the european union, and of the development partners offs have come forward to help finance basic government services and support alternative work programs that would help put citizens back to work. while we commend the leaders of the african union in the efforts of the african union is to force with support from the french we also agree with you in secretary general on kaynine assessment that the un peacekeeping force with both military and civilian components is needed to address the crisis and a comprehensive way. on april 10th the united states turn the other members of the u.n. security council and unanimously adopted resolution 2149 which establishes the u.n. peacekeeping operation in the central african republic with up

to 10,000 military personnel, 1,800 police, and 20 corrections officers. it will build on a strong work and sacrifice made as well as the european troops better in the process of joining the. they will have the responsibility not only to protect civilians but also to support the reestablishment of governance, election preparation , disarmament and demobilization of cabanes, protection of human rights and accountability for human rights abuses. the united states will continue to reinforce the mission in advance of the transition to maintain and increase the ability to protect the civilian population. we have committed up to $100 million to support including by providing airlift's for over 1,700 peacekeepers

today, nonlethal equipment, and 200 additional vehicles, 37 vehicles having already been delivered to increase the mobility of troops on the ground. on a potent the united states also announced additional humanitarian assistance bringing our humanitarian assistance since art over first -- 2013 to 67 million. to support the essential work of reconciliation but we have committed an additional seven and a half million dollars to nongovernmental organizations to support their courageous work with religious leaders who are promoting conflict resolution initiatives to encourage peace forgiveness and of violence in flashpoint areas of the country. we strongly believe that it is important role accountable all individuals responsible for atrocities being committed, and we are actively working with the

united nations security council to implement targeted sanctions against political supporters of the individuals perpetrating violence. secretary of state carey stated, the united states is prepared to implement targeted sanctions against those to further destabilize the situation or pursue their own selfish ends by abetting or encouraging violence . finally, i am pleased to announce that the department of state has appointed ambassador stuart as our special representative for the central african republic and will begin his work later this month. the ambassador will play a leading role in shaping and coordinating u.s. strategy to end the violence, address humanitarian needs, establish a legitimate government, create a judicial mechanism for ensuring accountability is for those% this -- suspected of perpetrating human rights abuses and help move through an inclusive transition process leading to democratic elections.

chairman smith, ranking member, other members of the subcommittee, we are determined and committed to end the human suffering in ca are in support a peaceful and durable resolution to the crisis. we remain engaged and look forward to keeping you in the committee engaged and informed of our effort. i would be pleased to answer questions. thank you very much. >> thank you for your testimony and for your work. i would like to now yield to secretary ann richards for her testimony. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman, ranking member, other members of the subcommittee and thank you throughout the year for your dedication to human rights and humanitarian causes. i appreciate the opportunity today to brief you on the humanitarian crisis in the south african of the public. it is unusual to have to win the from the state department, but

because i was just there in the beginning of april we thought it might make sense to come along and provide some eyewitness testimony from what i saw on a trip. principal deputy assistant secretary jackson is divided with a comprehensive or view of the situation. want to focus my remarks on the trouble ahead the beginning of april to chad and also to enki, central african republic. i want to highlight the word that the bureau population that oversees migration is doing together to address humanitarian needs. as you know, nearly a million central africans and forced to flee their homes. two-thirds are displaced within the central african republic, and one-third have fled to neighboring countries and are now refugees. each and every one of these people has stories of personal tragedy and loss included family members killed, wives and children rate to the beast and dreams shattered.

in chad had traveled to the south to areas near the border and also toward a transit center i spoke with one man who showed me photos of a mutilated body of his father. the parents of five children including a newborn baby, tell me they had lost everything. people have brought a very little with them, and some are using what little they had to build a rudimentary shelter to house their families. i travel a lot to refugee situations to displaced persons camps. people were in a very difficult shelters, situations, and it was obviously in places that had been thrown together quickly. they were safe for the moment, but it was certainly is what i saw nothing but people should live in for any white the time. i spoke to several women, and all of the extremely difficult conditions put it children say and as he may have seen ranking

member, the ibp say on the edge of the airport when it i have to travel far to meet with them. while their homes or in a nearby neighborhood, they all sought protection at the camp because they were freed if it went back to their homes they could be hurt in the crossfire. in all my meetings security was the number one topic of concern, from cabinet ministers to u.n. leaders to the refugees of internally displaced persons themselves speaking to the need to restore security in the sense of law and order. we heard it unanimously from everyone, that they were concerned about the violence. when i asked refugees what they had fled, they'll mention fear of attack and concern for their families the minister of development, the program would be worthless the importance of

robust government support to the mission and the new u.n. creating conditions that one day permit these uprooted people to return home. committed to working with the international community to provide life-saving assistance and to structure a programs to enhance efforts to protect the displaced. during my visit i was particularly struck by the incredible loss fatality. they had not only open their doors to 92,000 refugees but were welcoming the return of an equal number of migrants who had been living in the central african republic for decades. of the same degree of hospitality is not extended by the democratic republic of congo, the republic of the condo, and especially camera which hosts the largest number of refugees from the central african republic and 1,804,000.

the other point, as you well know, they have for over a decade hosted refugees from are for. they already have many refugees living in the country. i was also tremendously impressed with the dedication and current and of relief workers who were at great risk to themselves are struggling to gain access to vulnerable populations to deliver aid. sadly, relief workers have lost their lives including three people we have worked with who were killed this past weekend in northwest central african republic. it recently tried to deliver health care. newly arriving refugees are receiving only half of the recommended daily food ration because food resources are stretched so thin. several refugees approached me personally and told me that they did not have enough food to feed their children and were concerned. i have to say that that is now usually happen my travel to refugee camps. usually people have reached a refugee camp they're safe and cared for. in this particular case i talked to the world food program about

a. they said they knew that the food was under the recommended levels and it did not plan the united states. the united states had been generous, but other countries had not come through with their shares conditions were deplorable in terms of overcrowding, shelter was poor, non-government organizations were doing their best to address gaps.

unrest in the central african republic is happening at the same time as up evil and violence in south sudan. secretary perry is in meetings today about south sudan and widespread conflict in syria. well humanitarian conflict will

help keep people alive let me remind you of the plea. they wanted to return to security and stability in the central african republic with conditions that would permit them to return home, rebuilding lives, their homes, go back to work in their places of business. this should be our highest priority as well. representative smith, ranking member, i think you for your support and for giving me the opportunity to address you today and am happy to answer your questions. >> thank you very much, ms. richards. let me ask a number of questions , mr. ambassador. with regard to peacekeeping when can we realistically expect peacekeepers to be on the ground displacing those who are being well vented out because of the conflicts that we all know and the vested interests that has compromised their mission? are we talking the fall? is there any way to a accelerate that process? you know, the latest and i'll

obviously for those who are being hurt or killed. let me ask you as well, you know, maybe this would be to you , miss richard, my understanding is that our humanitarian assistance members, approximately $67 million. the question would arise why our faith based organizations on the getting seven and a half million given the house i stroll with their playing in the african republic. as we know, when the bishop was here it was concerned that the is sheltering 35,000 people and how much assistance we are giving to those ngos or faith- based entities that could have high impact because they know they are understood and respected by the people the deal with. it seems that that ratio is very much skewed toward not helping fate-based entities. if you could give some insight into that.

enough -- he makes the plan is testimony that embassadors, politicians, and diplomats were all given in the same excuses and reasons for the crisis in the country, a lack of leaders and exclusion of citizens, but he also makes the point -- and i thought this was very interesting -- that one of the key drivers of violence is the diamonds in the poaching. if you could speak to that issue , and there is any need for sustained u.s. diplomatic engagement that looks at that aspect of the communal, how do we dry up those of various enterprises. let me also ask you as well, madeleine rose in her testimony points out that if we fail to address the crisis quickly and correctly this situation could

metastasize into a new decade long conflict transcending corridor through the south sudan and makes the point that even with the anticipated eu reinforcements the enormity of challenge for peacekeepers out strips capacity. is this design potentially to fail? i am not assuming any a well. is it being driven by insufficient resources? you just mentioned that other countries have not come through with their commitments. how much of an unmet need to we have with regard to peacekeeping what kind of force is needed ideally to really in this violence? is what is configured enough? is the money enough? how much are we giving to peacekeeping? what are the others giving? when you say other countries are not coming through, if there could be a listing of those

countries' commitments made, commitments and that. there are large numbers of countries that could do a heck a lot more, i would think, that are not. finally we will have of the questions, but it we could start with those. >> thank you, mr. chairman. as for the u.n. peacekeeping force, we anticipate their arrival in mid september. however, i want to note that the u.n. has already had senior officials on the graph to do planning and coordinating with the african union and french forces and european union troops are beginning to arrive. they have started to train 480 police and shot bounce from central african republic. we are also today having assistant secretary thomas greenfield who is with secretary carry meet