The US military is currently investigating reports that explicit images of female service members and vets are being shared on a secret Facebook page.

The Center for Investigative Reporting wrote earlier this month that “hundreds” of Marines were being grilled over “possibly thousands” of images being shared on the group “Marines United”, which has almost 30,000 members.

“In one instance, a woman corporal in uniform was followed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina by a fellow Marine, who surreptitiously photographed her as she picked up her gear,” the report said, adding that the image drew “dozens of obscene comments”.

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And now a former Marine has spoken out about the issue and appeared to blame the women themselves for the sharing of explicit images.

Former Marine Marshall Chiles described the secret Facebook group as “a group of males coming together who can understand each other” in an interview with Daily Beast, adding that sharing the images was merely a form of “social validation”.

He continued to appear to point the finger of blame at the military’s decision to allow women to take part in combat, after the ban on women was lifted in December 2015, saying, “The Marine Corps is supposed to go out and win wars, being the front line of defense for America. So why should would we integrate women when we know it’s going to happen and it’s just going to continue to be a huge distraction?”

“Murder is illegal on the streets of America, but people still do it. So sexual crimes are still going to happen in the military regardless of how they [Pentagon and Congress] try to clamp down on it or revise [policies],” he added.

What a guy.

Image: iStock