In a commencement address to the 2013 class of Naval Academy graduates, President Obama addressed the rising number of sexual assaults in the military and urged them to follow an “inner compass.”
The President called the military the nation’s “most trusted institution,” according to the New York Times. He noted that “those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they are threatening the trust and discipline that make out military strong,”
The issue of sexual assault in the military has recently caught the attention of the White House and the press.
Last week, Obama met with top military brass and Pentagon leaders and instructed them to develop and lead a process to fix the problem, according to the Washington Post.
Sexual assault has “no place in the greatest military on Earth,” said Obama, according to USA Today.
“We need your honor, that inner compass that guides you,” the president told the 1,047 graduates under gloomy skies. “Even more than physical courage, we need your moral courage — the strength to do what’s right, even when it’s unpopular.”