by Hauwa Gambo

Following a new Pentagon report revealing that at least 26,000 members of the American military “may have been” assaulted in 2012, President Barack Obama pledged today to “leave no stone unturned” in ending sexual assault in the military, a trend he says undermines the armed services.

According to the Associated Press, “He said the nation’s military leaders are “ashamed” about their failure to stop it.”

Obama also said he has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey to lead a process to root out the problem.

“They care about this and they are angry about it,” Obama said at the White House, after he summoned the nation’s top defense leaders for a meeting to discuss the problem. “I heard directly from all of them that they are ashamed by some of what’s happened.”

The meeting follows a recent string of misconduct cases and a Pentagon report showing that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year.