WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement in support of bipartisan legislation that establishes an unbiased military justice system to address the crisis of sexual assault in the U.S. military. This legislation is a version of the Military Improvement Act introduced by Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and will be voted on as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in the Senate later today.
The latest Pentagon survey found that 62 percent of women in the U.S. military who reported being sexually assaulted experienced some form of retaliation. The latest FY 2014 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office report by the Defense Department showed 75 percent of men and women in uniform who have been sexually assaulted lack the confidence in the military justice system to come forward and report the crimes committed against them.
“Too many sexual assault victims in the military remain silent because they do not trust the military justice system to hold their perpetrators accountable and protect them from retaliation,” Senator Coons said. “This unacceptable failing of our military to combat sexual assaults must be addressed immediately, which is why I’m proud to support this carefully crafted legislation. By putting people who are unbiased and trained in administering justice in charge of how accusations of sexual assault are handled in our armed forces, this legislation will help ensure victims have the confidence to come forward to report crimes. It’s time for Congress to make meaningful change to how sexual assault is handled in the military so that we can fulfill our sacred duty of protecting men and women in uniform as well as they protect us.”