Hagel Announces New Measures to Try to Stamp out Sex Assaults in the Military
Photo Credit: Pete MarovichThe Pentagon has unveiled a range of initiatives to curb sexual assault in the ranks and tackle what military leaders have described as a “crisis” of confidence which prevents victims coming forward.
The new initiatives, to be implemented immediately, include greater protections of victims, including the expansion of an air force initiative to provide victims with a legal advocacy programme. Other changes include ensuring that pretrial investigations are conducted by judge advocate generals and improved tracking and follow-up of sexual assault cases.
In a memo to staff, Chuck Hagel, the defence secretary, described sexual assault as “a stain on the honor of our men and women who honorably serve our country, as well as a threat to the discipline and the cohesion of our force.”
He said the measures would “improve victim support, strengthen pretrial investigations, enhance oversight, and make prevention and response efforts more consistent across the military services”.
But the moves fell short of the overhaul in the system victims advocates and some lawmakers say is needed. Military critics say that to address the breakdown of trust in its handling of such cases, the responsibility for prosecuting sexual assault has to be removed from the chain of command.
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