“The issue of sexual assault in our armed forces undermines that trust. So not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be. And as such, it is dangerous to our national security,” President Obama said.

Military sexual assault, he said, “is not a sideshow.”

“This goes to the heart and the core of who we are and how effective we’re going to be,” the president said.