{"id":64367,"date":"2021-06-10T16:05:08","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T16:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/10\/austin-signals-intent-to-recommend-changes-to-military-sexual-assault-prosecutions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:34:12","slug":"austin-signals-intent-to-recommend-changes-to-military-sexual-assault-prosecutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/10\/austin-signals-intent-to-recommend-changes-to-military-sexual-assault-prosecutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin signals intent to recommend changes to military sexual assault prosecutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In testimony before<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/29\/major-overhaul-in-how-the-military-handles-sexual-misconduct-cases-may-finally-happen\/\" target=\"_blank\"> senators who are working on legislation<\/a> to remove sexual assault prosecutions from a commander\u2019s authority, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/06\/02\/secdef-nearing-decision-about-taking-sexual-assault-cases-out-of-chain-of-command\/\" target=\"_blank\">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin<\/a> implied he intends to recommend to the president that the military\u2019s legal system be altered in some related way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s been roughly six weeks since an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/22\/end-commanders-power-to-block-military-sex-cases-pentagon-panel-says\/\" target=\"_blank\"> independent review commission<\/a> recommended that Austin take steps in that direction, but since then, he has taken time to gather opinions from the service chiefs and secretaries, not setting a deadline for his final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to be sure that whatever changes to the [Uniform Code of Military Justice] I recommend to the president \u2015 and ultimately to this committee \u2015 are scoped to the problem we are trying to solve, have a clear way forward on implementation, and ultimately restore the confidence of the force in the system,\u201d Austin said in prepared remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Austin is looking specifically at whether to remove sexual assault and harassment cases from the chain of command, to be handled by professional military prosecutors, the Senate is considering a bill that would take all felony offenses out of a commanding officer\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This would serve to \u201cremove biases across the board and to professionalize the entire military justice system,\u201d Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told Austin, the first Black defense secretary, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/05\/31\/this-report-says-black-and-hispanic-service-members-are-more-likely-to-face-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\">citing research showing that Black troops<\/a> are more likely to be charged under UCMJ than their white peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British, Israeli and other armed forces have moved to that model, she added, while the U.S. has held on to a system where commanders decide whether to charge their own troops, and whether those charges go to trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin and his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, steered the conversation back to sexual assault when asked about the possibility of expanding the idea of independent prosecutors to all felonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that requires some detailed study before we completely overhaul the entire UCMJ,\u201d Milley said, adding that he still has an open mind about prosecuting sexual assault differently, \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s also true of most of the senior leaders in uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While his mind is open, Austin said, sexual assault and sexual harassment,\u201d are the problems that we are trying to resolve and improve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since reintroducing her legislation in April, Gillibrand has recruited 66 cosponsors, she said \u2015 a bipartisan effort that would give the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act its first real chance at passage since her first attempt in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bill would give six months to implement any changes, which Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said seemed like not enough time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ll need the adequate time to implement the change in a very responsible way,\u201d Austin said, including resources and flexibility \u201cso if there\u2019s something that needs to be adjusted, we can adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin told Gillibrand she has his commitment to keeping an open mind, \u201cand also my commitment to working expeditiously with you as you consider legislative proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin is not ruling out support for removing sexual assault prosecutions from the chain of 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