Defense bill tackles retaliation against military sex assault victims

A bipartisan pair of senators on Thursday praised the inclusion of their efforts to combat retaliation against military sexual assault victims in the final version of the annual defense policy bill.

“This is just another step in what’s been an historic overhaul strengthening how our military handles these crimes,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said in a written statement.

{mosads}A Rand Corp. survey cited by the Pentagon in last year’s report on sexual assault in the military found that 62 percent of female victims said they had been subjected to some form of social or professional retaliation.

McCaskill and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced standalone legislation earlier this year to tackle the issue.

The language was then included in the Senate-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and was kept in the final version unveiled this week.

The plan has four main changes to address the issue. First, the NDAA would make professional retaliation its own offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Second, it would require the Pentagon to collect and publish data on retaliation complaints and notify victims of how their retaliation complaint was decided.

Third, it would require specific training for those who investigate claims of retaliation in connection with sexual assault.

Finally, it would establish metrics for measuring the outcomes of efforts to prevent and respond to retaliation. 

“We’ve worked hard to empower survivors to report these crimes and come out of the shadows, and to hold commanders accountable,” McCaskill said. “This plan will offer new tools to help bring down the stubborn rates of retaliation against survivors who report and speak up.”

Ernst said the plan is a step toward changing the culture around sexual assault in the military.

“Sexual assault anywhere and of any kind is absolutely unacceptable,” she said in a statement, “and the survivors in our military should be empowered to come forward and report the attack, without fear of retaliation by their peers, so that we can work together to ensure these horrible acts are prosecuted fully and are not continued in our military.”