US Marine Corps Nude Photographs Scandal (2017)
The US Marine Corps Nude Photographs Scandal, which emerged in early 2017, involved the unauthorized sharing of nude photographs of female service members by male Marines through social media platforms. This controversy arose against the backdrop of a significant policy change, as the Marine Corps had recently begun integrating female service members into combat roles. The scandal first gained public attention on March 4, 2017, when reports revealed a private Facebook group named Marines United was facilitating the exchange of these images, leading to a formal investigation by the Department of Defense.
As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that the issue extended beyond the Marine Corps, affecting other branches of the military as well. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) became involved, and public figures, including politicians, criticized the military's response to the harassment and misogyny revealed in the comments surrounding these photos. In subsequent months, some individuals were disciplined for their actions, but many service members continued to face harassment, and additional unauthorized photo-sharing groups emerged.
This scandal highlighted significant concerns regarding the treatment of women in the military, issues of consent, and the pervasive culture surrounding the sharing of explicit images without permission. The situation sparked broader discussions about accountability and the protection of service members within a military framework.
US Marine Corps Nude Photographs Scandal (2017)
Date: March 2017
Summary
The Marine Corps nude photographs scandal was a US military scandal that began in the Marines but was later found to involve other branches of the military. The scandal involved the discovery that large numbers of male service members had been participating in online groups that shared photos of female service members, in some cases nude, without the permission of the service members featured in the photos.
Key Events
- January 5, 2017—The US Marine Corps for the first time allows female service members to join an infantry battalion.
- March 4, 2017—The Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that the US Department of Defense is investigating hundreds of Marines who used social media to exchange nude photos of female service members.
- March 5, 2017—The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) begins an official investigation.
- April 7, 2017—Marine Corps announces that two active-duty Marines have been punished for posting derogatory comments on social media.
Status
On March 14, 2017, New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticized General Robert B. Neller when he testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the photo-sharing scandal, arguing that the Marine Corps had yet to issue any specific punishments for the hundreds of Marines involved in the case. Neller stated that at least twenty service members had come forward complaining of harassment associated with the photo-sharing scandal. On April 7, it was announced that the Marine Corps had formally issued punishments for two Marines who posted derogatory comments against one of their unit leaders on a social media forum.
In-Depth Overview
In early January 2017, for the first time in history, the US Marine Corps included women in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines infantry unit. As the controversial gender integration program proceeded, hundreds of male Marines using a private social media group for Marines, known as Marines United, began requesting and sharing photos, including several nude photos, of female service members through the Marines United Facebook group; some were allegedly personal photos while others were pulled from online accounts such as Instagram. Marines United, which had at least thirty thousand members, allegedly offers support for veterans and other service members but restricts membership to male Marines.
On March 4, the War Horse, a nonprofit news service operated by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan, became the first press agency to reveal the photo-sharing activity on Marines United. In cooperation with the Center for Investigative Reporting, he announced that the US Department of Justice was launching a formal investigation into the matter. He had reportedly contacted the Marine Corps headquarters about the issue on January 30, and the Facebook and Google groups were shut down after a request from Marine Corps administrators. However, it was quickly revealed that the unauthorized photos were still being shared through the group as well as alternate sites and that some had been uploaded to pornography sites.
According to Brennan, more than two dozen women, many still in active duty, had been featured on the site and identified by name, rank, and even the location where they were stationed; their photos were being shared through a Google Drive and Dropbox account linked to the social media group. In one instance discussed by Brennan in his report, a female corporal at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had been followed and secretly photographed by a fellow Marine, who was later reportedly removed from active duty for his actions. Investigations also found what some felt were disturbingly misogynistic and harassing comments about women featured in the photographs. The Marine Corps identified the individual who created the initial Google Drive folder and ensured that he was fired from his job as a military contractor.
On March 5, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) began an investigation into the issue. General Robert B. Neller, the highest-ranking official in the Marine Corps, released a public statement condemning the actions of the Marines involved and asking for women who had been victimized to come forward. A number of female service members came forward in early March, and some reported suffering harassment and threats as a result. It was later revealed that photos from women in other branches of the military had also been shared through Marines United and other social media groups.
On March 8, Democratic congresswoman Jackie Speier of California spoke about the issue and called on Secretary of Defense James Mattis to remove participating Marines from active service. Speier had been a key figure in a controversy regarding the treatment of female service members in online groups in 2013 and criticized the Department of Defense for failing to address the issue between 2013 and 2017. For his role in bringing the Marines United controversy to the press, Brennan reported receiving threats against himself and his family.
On March 9, Marine sergeant James LaPorta revealed, in an article for CNN, that, despite the original Marines United group having been shut down, most of the participating service members migrated to another Facebook group, Marines United 2, in which members were sharing links to a cloud storage site with at least 2,500 images of female service members and other women; many of the photos depicted the women nude. Comments on the new site indicated that the administrators were taking steps to prevent the site and photo-sharing files from being infiltrated by individuals who would betray fellow service members.
Key Figures
Thomas Brennan: Marine veteran and creator of the War Horse news site.
James LaPorta: Marine sergeant who revealed the existence of Marines United 2 to the press and authorities.
Robert B. Neller: General and highest-ranking official in the Marine Corps.
Bibliography
Brennan, T. (2017, March 4). Hundreds of Marines investigated for sharing photos of naked colleagues. Reveal. Retrieved from https://www.revealnews.org/blog/hundreds-of-marines-investigated-for-sharing-photos-of-naked-colleagues/
Cauterucci, C. (2017, March 15). The Military's nude-photo sharing scandal is worse than we thought. Slate. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx‗factor/2017/03/15/the‗military‗s‗nude‗photo‗sharing‗scandal‗is‗getting‗worse.html
Gibbons-Neff, T. (2017, April 7). First Marines punished for online conduct following nude-photo scandal. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/07/first-marines-punished-for-online-conduct-following-nude-photo-scandal/
McLaughlin, E., & Stapleton, A. (2017, March 9). Secret Marines group is still sharing nude photos amid scandal. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-united-photos-investigation/
Philipps, D. (2017, March 6). Inquiry opens into how a network of Marines shared illicit images of female peers. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/us/inquiry-opens-into-how-30000-marines-shared-illicit-images-of-female-peers.html
Starr, B., & Cohen, Z. (2017, March 14). Senator rips top Marine over nude photo scandal. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/14/politics/marines-nude-photo-scandal-hearing/