"Retired Air Force Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor in the United States Air Force, said Senator Joni Ernst efforts speak to a larger problem.

'If our recruits have to travel in pairs to avoid being sexually assaulted, we have a major problem," Christensen, now the president of the advocacy group Protect Our Defenders, said in a statement Friday.

'A service member should be able to walk on a military base by themselves without the fear of being sexually assault⋯⋯ed. That should be the standard.

This week, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) sent a letter to an Air Force base commander stationed Joint Base San Antonio, suggesting a “buddy system” for trainees on base that would require them to travel in pairs in order to reduce the risk of sexual assault. The idea of implementing a “buddy system” to prevent sexual assault has been widely criticized and contributes to a culture of victim-blaming in the military.

Col. Don Christensen (ret.), the former Chief Prosecutor of the Un⋯⋯ited State Air Force and President of Protect Our Defenders, released the following statement:

Last year, the Department of Defense (DoD) proposed long overdue sentencing reform that included a host of provisions to modernize and improve the military justice process. The provisions, which were submitted by the President as part of an extensive proposal drafted by the Military Justice Review Group (MJRG) would have established clear sentencing guidelines to be used by judges and eliminated sentencing by military juries except for capital cases.

Today, Col. Don Christens⋯⋯en (ret.), the former Chief Prosecutor of the United State Air Force and President of Protect Our Defenders, sent letters to both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees calling on Congress to pass the sentencing reform provisions proposed by the Pentagon.

Last week, The New York Times published an op-ed from the President of Vietnam Veterans of America calling on President Obama to upgrade the discharge status of veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury or other service-related illnesses and injuries.

"It is extremely difficult for veterans suffering from a service-related condition such as PTSD to successfully appeal for a discharge upgrade on their own. This process can cost tens of thousands of dollars for priva⋯⋯te doctors who can treat and document their conditions. Furthermore, the complicated process of fact-finding and case-building typically requires hundreds of hours of work by a lawyer. The federal government stopped sponsoring discharge-upgrade centers in the early 1980s, so veterans are stuck on waiting lists for years before they can find attorneys familiar with the process."

Over the past two weeks, Protect Our Defenders has heard from many survivors and veterans who have voiced concern and apprehension over the results of the recent presidential election.

Protect Our Defenders has released the following statement:

We know that many survivors have felt significant pain and anxiety during this election process, and we have heard from many current and former service members, survivors and concerned citizens who have expressed grave concerns about t⋯⋯he impact some of President-elect Trump’s statements and prior actions may have on the effort to improve military culture and on the fight against sexual assault and harassment within the military.

Today for Veterans Day, we are honored to share a special message from Protect Our Defenders Advisory Board member, Terri J. Odom, to her fellow veterans.

A Tribute to Our Veterans:

Today on Veterans Day, cities across our great country have planned parades and other celebrations to honor American military veterans for their unselfish and brave service defending our freedoms and the American way of life. But for many veterans the greatest appreciation we have is the noble hon⋯⋯or of having served this great nation!

Protect Our Defenders applauds Congresswoman Jackie Speier for requesting a much needed hearing into the issue of military hazing. The request follows Rep. Speier's amendment to the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which would help identify and combat hazing in all of the military branches.

“Recent and disturbing media reports have shown, once again, that hazing is a much larger and more pervasive problem than some have been willing to admit. Even more troubling is ⋯⋯the fact that we in the federal government still lack a clear understanding of hazing and the military's response to the problem because the Department of Defense has never conducted a basic evaluation or developed a unified system to track these incidents,” Rep. Speier said. “That is unacceptable given the potentially deadly consequences of hazing. For those brave enough to put their lives on the line in service to our country, the very least we can do is ensure that they do not face attacks from within their own ranks.”'