Top brass takes dim view of Senate efforts to combat sexual assault in the military

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/04/193006/top-brass-takes-dim-view-of-senate.html



From left, Commander of the 202nd Military Police Group Col. Donna W. Martin; Commodore of Destroyer Squadron TWO Navy Capt. Stephen J. Coughlin; Commander of Combat Logistics Regiment 15 Marine Col. Tracy W. King; and Commander, 4th Fighter Wing Air Force Col. Jeannie M. Leavitt, testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on pending legislation regarding sexual assaults in the military.

Top brass takes dim view of Senate efforts to combat sexual assault in the military
By Michael Doyle | McClatchy Washington Bureau
Posted on Tuesday, June 4, 2013

WASHINGTON — Military leaders pushed back Tuesday against congressional proposals to remove sexual assault cases from the usual chain of command.

With sexual assault horror stories proliferating and political momentum growing, the military chiefs told the Senate Armed Service Committee that some changes are needed. But in a sometimes heated hearing that clarified the legislative battle lines, war-fighters warned against “unintended consequences” as they cautioned lawmakers not to go too far.

“I urge that military commanders remain central to the legal process,” said Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Reducing command responsibility could adversely affect the ability of the commander to enforce professional standards and ultimately to accomplish the mission.”

Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the U.S. Army chief of staff, said that “maintaining the central role of the commander in our military justice system is absolutely critical,” while Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, stressed that “it is essential that our commanders be involved in each phase of the military justice process.”