San Antonio Express-News Editorial: Compromise on military sexual assault not enough
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., says she has been assured of a vote this year on her proposal to remove commanders altogether from the decision on whether to prosecute these cases. The betting, however, is that, with only days remaining in the congressional session, this will likely not occur until next year.
Removing commanders from this process is a necessary step. Whether it’s this year or next, this vote must occur. Reform of how the military handles sexual assault — the deficiencies well documented in this newspaper’s “Twice Betrayed” series this year — will be incomplete without it.
That’s not to say, however, that the compromise doesn’t include noteworthy improvements — in fact, they are the most sweeping changes in more than 50 years.
