One Nation, a public policy organization dedicated to promoting commonsense legislative solutions, is endorsing Senator Martha McSally’s (R-AZ) Combating Military Sexual Assault Act to reform military sexual assault rules and procedures.
McSally’s bill addresses four specific issues to combat sexual assault in the military: prevention and training, victim support, investigation, and prosecution. On introducing the bill, McSally said: “We need to empower commanders to have more responsibility and more accountability than they do now. My bill will improve the timeliness from the time an assault is reported to when it is brought to its conclusion.”
The bill is being introduced in the lead-up to the Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). McSally said Tuesday, “Our intent is to include as much as possible in the mark up of the defense bill next week.”
Earlier this year, McSally – the first female fighter pilot to ever fly in combat – revealed she was the victim of sexual assault while serving in the Air Force. McSally has made reforming the rules surrounding reporting of sexual assault cases in the military one of her signature issues. At McSally’s request, the Pentagon formed the Sexual Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force – which recommended the military make sexual assault a stand-alone crime earlier this month.
“We commend Senator McSally for using her own tragic experience to courageously attack this issue head-on, advocating for better protections for future generations of the United States military. While Senator McSally is already getting results on this important issue, her bill is a common-sense measure to further codify protections against sexual assault.” -One Nation Communications Director Jack Pandol