October 28, 2021 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and a group of their colleagues on Wednesday is expressing disappointment with the Pentagon’s proposed timeline—of up to nine years—to implement the findings of the Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault to combat sexual assault and harassment in the military. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the senators request a briefing outlining the Department of Defense’s methods of execution to achieve needed reforms.

(Left) Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

The senators write, “We write to express our disappointment and concern with the vague approach and lax timeline the Department of Defense has laid out in its Sept 22, 2021 memo ‘Commencing DoD Actions and Implementation to Address Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the Military.’ This approach does not rise to the challenge of addressing the crippling and endemic sexual assault crisis afflicting our nation’s military.”

They continue, “For nearly a decade, the United States Senate has voiced its displeasure with and intent to reform the military’s handling of sexual misconduct among the armed forces. We will not accept an additional 6 to 9 years of waiting for these necessary changes to be implemented. The majority of Congress understands that this is not a problem our service members can wait years for us to solve; 66 Senators and 220 Representatives have agreed to sponsor the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act of 2021, legislation that would mandate implementation of the below reforms within six months of passage.”

In addition to Feinstein, Gillibrand, Ernst and Grassley, the letter was also signed by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). In the letter, the senators request a briefing outlining the Department of Defense’s methods of execution to achieve the following improvements in no later than six months:

1. Move the decision to prosecute sexual assault and other serious crimes to an independent, trained, professional military prosecutor.
2. Ensure the Department of Defense develops tactics, techniques, and procedures to support criminal investigators and military prosecutors’ sexual assault and domestic violence investigations.
3. Survey and improve the physical security of military installations to increase safety in lodging and living spaces for service members.
4. Increase and improve training and education on military sexual assault throughout our armed services.
   Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein