Posted on Apr 23, 2021
Panel: End commanders’ power to block military sex cases
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"A Pentagon panel is recommending that decisions to prosecute service members for sexual assault be made by independent authorities, not commanders, in what would be a major reversal of military practice and a change long sought by Congress members, The Associated Press has learned.
The recommendation by an independent review commission created by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin goes against decades of vehement Pentagon arguments to keep cases within the chain of command. It was among a number of initial recommendations delivered to Austin on Thursday, according to two senior defense officials.
Austin expects to seek input from military service leaders before making any final decision, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal reports not yet made public. But combating sexual assault in the military is a top priority for Austin, and the fact that this recommendation was made so directly and quickly suggests it will carry a lot of weight."
The recommendation by an independent review commission created by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin goes against decades of vehement Pentagon arguments to keep cases within the chain of command. It was among a number of initial recommendations delivered to Austin on Thursday, according to two senior defense officials.
Austin expects to seek input from military service leaders before making any final decision, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal reports not yet made public. But combating sexual assault in the military is a top priority for Austin, and the fact that this recommendation was made so directly and quickly suggests it will carry a lot of weight."
Panel: End commanders’ power to block military sex cases
Posted from wowt.comPosted in these groups: 
SHARP
Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
SHARP Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Posted 3 y ago
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GOOD!!! And while were at it, cops should no longer be able to review themselves either.
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I had a feeling SECDEF Austin would push his weight around. It is time for us to take these sexual assault and harassments seriously. I heard through the grape vine that command climate surveys will have different questions to address sexual assaults and harassments.
The military has a huge black eye in regards to sexual harassment and assault cases. There have been numerous cases where the victims faced retaliation for bringing up abuses. It is tough when victims have to fight a system that is against them. It takes a lot of courage, stamina, and often soul searching when nobody helps a victim. This is now a systemic problem.
Sometimes the perpetrators were protected by the chain of command and the system. In one case an NCO raped a soldier and was given a General Officer Letter of Reprimand. This is essentially a memorandum stating a soldier or NCO has committed a wrong. That was the extent of his punishment and the soldier had to face the accuser frequently because they were in the same unit. The NCO should have gone to trial, but for some reason a memorandum sufficed.
In another case a Drill Sergeant sexually assaulted a trainee. The trainee faced massive retaliation from most all the Drill Sergeants and her chain of command when she reported the incident.
It really is a shame the military must get this huge black eye for change to happen. I am making a strong assumption that SECDEF Austin will make changing this culture a priority. I think in the following weeks this assumption will become a fact.
This is quite upsetting considering the basic tenets of military leadership is taking care of the troops. Another tenet is acting and leading based on established values compatible to the military. Many leaders acted that were not according to the values that should have been inculcated in them as military leaders. I despise buddy fuckers. These are soldiers who will take advantage of other soldiers. What many military leaders have exhibited is they were worse than buddy fuckers. They deemed it was appropriate to purposely hurt soldiers who were victims. We need to weed them out of the military. The military needs value driven leaders and troops
The military has a huge black eye in regards to sexual harassment and assault cases. There have been numerous cases where the victims faced retaliation for bringing up abuses. It is tough when victims have to fight a system that is against them. It takes a lot of courage, stamina, and often soul searching when nobody helps a victim. This is now a systemic problem.
Sometimes the perpetrators were protected by the chain of command and the system. In one case an NCO raped a soldier and was given a General Officer Letter of Reprimand. This is essentially a memorandum stating a soldier or NCO has committed a wrong. That was the extent of his punishment and the soldier had to face the accuser frequently because they were in the same unit. The NCO should have gone to trial, but for some reason a memorandum sufficed.
In another case a Drill Sergeant sexually assaulted a trainee. The trainee faced massive retaliation from most all the Drill Sergeants and her chain of command when she reported the incident.
It really is a shame the military must get this huge black eye for change to happen. I am making a strong assumption that SECDEF Austin will make changing this culture a priority. I think in the following weeks this assumption will become a fact.
This is quite upsetting considering the basic tenets of military leadership is taking care of the troops. Another tenet is acting and leading based on established values compatible to the military. Many leaders acted that were not according to the values that should have been inculcated in them as military leaders. I despise buddy fuckers. These are soldiers who will take advantage of other soldiers. What many military leaders have exhibited is they were worse than buddy fuckers. They deemed it was appropriate to purposely hurt soldiers who were victims. We need to weed them out of the military. The military needs value driven leaders and troops
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MAJ Ken Landgren
I talked to a EO officer. She said that she has seen many problems from field grades. It disgusts me to no end. I commanded twice and the first thing I did was to create the culture I wanted. I stated the standards: Values, Standards of Behavior and Leadership, and Operational Competencies. I said if I saw soldiers buddy fucking I would be extremely pissed and will kick them out of the army if their actions materially hurt other. I said if I find out about racism or sexual improprieties I will kick them out of the army. There would be no forgiveness. I would make life as painful as I could for them. Fortunately they got the message and I did not have to deal with that. SGT (Join to see)
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