The Pentagon General’s wanted things to stay within the current command structure….
But?
Steady media stories about sexual harassment and assault within the military have continued…
NY Senator Gillibrand has been on the case for years..
But the Senate has not shown interest in changes until now….
A congressional commission report sent its findings to Defense Sec Austin , who under pressure from within and without has just announced that he will push to take those situation out of commander hands and send them straight to the serrate military justice system…
We now find that the Commander-in-Chief supports the move…
So?
There ARE gonna be changes coming….
President Biden “fully supports” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recommendations on tackling sexual assault in the military, including the proposal to remove decisions to prosecute sex crimes from the chain of command.
Biden’s support comes as the administration on Friday officially rolled out the findings of the Independent Review Commission, which was tasked with studying ways to eradicate what has been a pervasive issue in the military.
“I strongly support Secretary Austin’s announcement that he is accepting the core recommendations put forward by the Independent Review Commission on Military Sexual Assault (IRC), including removing the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault from the chain of command and creating highly specialized units to handle these cases and related crimes,” Biden said in a statement after the report’s release….
…
In the nearly 300-page document, “Hard Truths and the Duty to Change,” the commission laid out more than 80 recommendations, the most major being the creation of a special victim prosecutor office and to “shift legal decisions about prosecution of special victim cases out of the chain of command,” according to the report.
Including military justice reform, the IRC report makes a total of 28 recommendations and 54 sub-recommendations in the areas of accountability, prevention, climate and culture and victim care and support, all of which its authors said are equally important and interdependent in stopping sex crimes in the military.
“Each must receive constant attention by commanders and enlisted leaders. Focusing on these issues cannot be seen by leaders as a distraction from the warfighting mission; indeed, if the military is to succeed in that mission, it cannot fail to address sexual harassment and sexual assault. Leaders have many responsibilities that demand their attention, but they cannot take days off from stopping the degradation of some Service members by others,” the report states.
In memo released Friday, Austin said he has a “strong bias toward accepting” the report’s recommendations “wherever possible with adjustments made to ensure effective implementation.” Austin arrived at his decision after “extensive consultation with the military and civilian leadership” of the military branches, he added….