Grassley Pushes for Independent Military Justice System Print Share

For Immediate Release
Dec 02, 2014

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today reiterated the need for an independent military justice system, citing the mounting evidence that the existing system continues to fail members of the military who are victims of sexual assault and other crimes.

“The longer we wait, the more we will fail the men and women who choose to serve in our country’s military,” Grassley said.  “The Military Justice Improvement Act will bring the change that public pressure will not and cannot.   There’s an old Washington expression that trying to turn around a bureaucracy is like trying to turn around an aircraft carrier.  It takes time and effort.  When it comes to military justice, we don’t have the luxury of waiting for the aircraft carrier to turn around.  We need action, now.”

Grassley joined a bipartisan group of colleagues at a press conference to renew the push for passage of their bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act.  The legislation would remove the decision of whether to prosecute serious crimes such as sexual assault from military commanders, who have a lack of independence from both perpetrators and victims.
 
Led by the bill’s main sponsor, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the news conference featured former Air Force Chief Prosecutor Colonel Don Christensen (Ret.), who served as chief prosecutor for four years.  Christensen was featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story this past Sunday.  He said he has left the military after 23 years because it was impossible to fix the system from the inside.  

The full text of Grassley’s statement at the news conference follows below.  Video from the news conference is available here.  A photo from the news conference is available here.

Grassley Statement at News Conference on the Military Justice Improvement Act

In Washington, promises of reform are often just promises until an institution is forced into action.  The action often comes after public embarrassment and pressure through outside scrutiny – from Congress, watchdog groups, and the national media.  

But the military’s approach to sexual assault seems to be a brick wall that won’t crumble under the usual pressures.  Even as Congress hears from military leaders that change is happening, the evidence of change is thin. More accounts of sexual assault and retaliation for reporting sexual assault are becoming public.  More victims are willing to tell their stories publicly.  More individuals are willing to speak out on how the military justice system has failed them, personally and professionally.  More than enough victims have come forward to prompt substantive change.

The longer we wait, the more we will fail the men and women who choose to serve in our country’s military.  The Military Justice Improvement Act will bring the change that public pressure will not and cannot.   

There’s an old Washington expression that trying to turn around a bureaucracy is like trying to turn around an aircraft carrier.  It takes time and effort.  When it comes to military justice, we don’t have the luxury of waiting for the aircraft carrier to turn around.  We need action, now.

In closing, I am attempting to determine what, if anything, the Defense Department inspector general is doing to address and resolve the situation with Colonel Christensen.  The concerns about retaliation are troubling.   We need people who speak out instead of going along to get along if we’re going to turn around an entire culture and system.  
 

 

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