Editorial: Congress pushes military on sex assaults
The Fayetteville Observer Editorial Board writes:
Just as testimony began in the sexual-assault court martial of Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair last week, the U.S. Senate put the issue on trial as well.
It was no coincidence. For the past few years, congressional alarm has grown over the stunning number of sexual assaults taking place in our armed forces.
The extent of the problem has only recently come to light, as victims began to step forward and research documented the problem. In 2012 alone, a Pentagon anonymous survey revealed, about 26,000 members of the military may have been sexually assaulted.
Several high-profile assaults led Congress to make changes in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. After top commanders reversed convictions in some particularly egregious cases, Congress stripped them of that authority.
