MSNBC: Senate set for battle over military sexual assault
MSNBC writes:
Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan said Tuesday that he will replace Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s amendment to the 2014 Defense Authorization Act that would remove major military crimes from the chain of command. Instead, Levin offered a plan requiring senior officers to review decisions to prosecute sexual assault cases.
This proposal is similar to changes made last year by then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, which placed authority to investigate and convene a court martial in the hands of a colonel or Navy captain.
Senator Levin’s bill “is another half measure that will essentially kick the can down the road,” said Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders told MSNBC. Parrish argued that, even if higher-ranking officers are involved in reviewing decisions, “It is the low-level commanders who hold the initial disposition authority that can prevent a sexual assault case from ever moving forward. These unit commanders hold the keys to the courthouse.”
