WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the release of the 2018 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military and the recommendations from the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) held a roundtable yesterday on addressing sexual assault in the military. After the roundtable discussion, Senators Tillis and McSally issued the following joint statement:
“Sexual misconduct is a moral and readiness crisis that we must address head-on. While major steps have been taken in recent years to address sexual misconduct and retaliation in the military, and progress has been made, more must be done to prevent misconduct, support victims, and prosecute offenders.
“That is why we will be advocating for additional reforms in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which will include improving the timeliness of the system, improving coordination between investigators and prosecutors, ensuring there is a special victim counsel at every military installation, adding a new punitive article in the Uniform Code of Military Justice to criminalize sexual harassment, and increasing forensic investigative capabilities.”
“Sexual misconduct is a moral and readiness crisis that we must address head-on. While major steps have been taken in recent years to address sexual misconduct and retaliation in the military, and progress has been made, more must be done to prevent misconduct, support victims, and prosecute offenders.
“That is why we will be advocating for additional reforms in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which will include improving the timeliness of the system, improving coordination between investigators and prosecutors, ensuring there is a special victim counsel at every military installation, adding a new punitive article in the Uniform Code of Military Justice to criminalize sexual harassment, and increasing forensic investigative capabilities.”
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