Female senators grill military brass over arrest of sexual assault prevention officer

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Female senators grill military brass over arrest of sexual assault prevention officer

Female senators lashed out at top military brass on Tuesday following a damning Pentagon report on sexual assault and the arrest of U.S. Air Force sex abuse prevention officer.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) pressed the military leaders to explain why unit commanders should have the power to handle the prosecution and investigation of sexual assault cases.

“This is a regard in which there is clearly insufficient training, insufficient understanding,” Gillibrand said. “If the man in charge for the Air Force of preventing sexual assault is being alleged to have committed a sexual assault this weekend, obviously there is a failing in training and understanding of what sexual assault is and how corrosive and damaging it is to good order and discipline — and how it is undermining the credibility of the greatest military force in the world. This is not good enough.”

She told Gen. Mark Welsh, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, that many female victims refused to report sexual assaults because they had no faith in the chain of command. Gillibrand said sexual assault cases should be handled by trained prosecutors, since commanders had overturned verdicts in the past.

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Full article here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/07/female-senators-grill-military-brass-over-arrest-of-sexual-assault-prevention-officer/

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