US | US Naval Academy Obama to Military: Sexual Assaults Making You Weaker President addresses Naval Academy commencement By Kevin Spak Posted May 24, 2013 1:45 PM CDT Copied President Obama speaks at the commencement ceremony for the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Barack Obama gave the commencement address at the US Naval Academy today, and he used the occasion to talk about the military's issues with sexual assault. The perpetrators of sexual violence "threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong," Obama said, according to USA Today. "We are determined to stop these crimes, because they've got no place in the greatest military on Earth." Still, Obama was mindful of the occasion; he offered no substantive policy statements on the sexual assault issue, which he's already ordered the Pentagon to look at, and he spent plenty of time lauding the graduates on their accomplishments. "You will lead this country," he said. "And if we want to restore the trust that the American people deserve to have in their institutions, all of us have to do our part." Read These Next The Atlantic has a lengthy profile of RFK Jr. See the states with the highest utility bills. New York explores how women are 'quietly quitting' marriages. New Brendan Fraser film sheds lights on an odd Japanese custom. Report an error