Top brass digs in, defends system in sex-assault hearing
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
WASHINGTON — The epidemic of sexual assault within U.S. armed forces has reached the point that the Senate’s premier combat war hero bluntly warned colleagues and the nation’s military leadership Tuesday that he could no longer recommend that young women enlist to defend their nation.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a career Navy pilot who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, described his loss of faith during hearings by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is considering proposals to address the problem.
The proposals include having military commanders hand off decisions on sexual assault cases to trained military prosecutors, rather than deciding for themselves whether an accused GI faces limited non-judicial punishment or a court martial.
