Hegseth's Call to 'Toughness' Sparks Concerns About Military Sexual Violence
10/13/2025 by Adrienne Spires
Advocates warn that rhetoric glorifying aggression can have real consequences for survivors of sexual violence.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed late last month to implement the new rules of engagement while addressing America’s senior military leaders, saying, “No more walking on eggshells.” The protocol handling allegations of hazing and other types of abuse will be overhauled.
Hesgeth, a member of a Christian nationalist church that endorses patriarchy and theocracy, went on to say that the records of “tough” leaders with past infractions will be expunged. Working in the domestic violence prevention field, it was hard not to hear this as a call to sexual harassment and violence, both within the ranks and in combat.
Rape is deeply rooted in power and control, and Hesgeth’s calls for violent masculinity as policy only point to the pervasive problem and practice of sexual assault in the military, both domestically and abroad. According to the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) 2024 sexual assault report: 8,195 assaults occurred in 2024. 8,515 took place in 2023. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an estimated 24 percent of women and 1.9 percent of men in active-duty U.S. military reported being sexually assaulted.
Since biblical times, sexual assault has also been used as a weapon during war. According to the Hebrew Bible, during a civil war in ancient Israel, the warriors of the tribe of Benjamin were granted 400 virgins as spoils of war. Then, they abducted 200 more virgins for their pleasure. During World War II, U.S. soldiers committed 14,000 rapes in England, France and Germany. Conflict-related sexual assault includes rape. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been enduring a civil war for several decades. Doctors Without Borders treated 7,400 victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January and April 2025. Due to funding cuts, the services of international aid organizations have drastically declined for victims impacted by the conflict.
https://msmagazine.com/2025/10/13/hegseth-trump-women-military-sexual-violence/