If the Military Can't Handle Its Sexual Assault Problem, Congress Needs to Step In

Last week, a group of bipartisan lawmakers expressed their frustration with the military's handling of sexual assault by introducing the "I Am Vanessa Guillén Act," new legislation to address a long-standing problem.

Sexual misconduct is a pervasive problem in the military, with rates continuing to rise on a year-to-year basis. Instances of sexual assault and rape for service women increased from 4.3% in 2016 to 6.2% in 2018. This increase comes despite greater congressional, military and public attention and support to addressing sexual harassment in the ranks.

Should the DoD continue failing at comprehensively and effectively addressing sexual violence, Congress must intervene more robustly.

As a result of sexual assault and harassment, as many as 25% of survivors leave the military. Publicly, the military says it views sexual assault as a readiness issue. But internally, it is not treated like one.

Read the full article from Military.com.

Commentary
- January 25, 2023
Sharper: National Security in a Divided Congress
Following the 2022 midterm elections, a new U.S. Congress was sworn in, resulting in a divided House and Senate with narrow margins. Key national security legislative items ar...

By Anna Pederson & Cameron Edinburgh
Commentary
- Lawfare
- August 12, 2022
Schedule F: An Unwelcome Resurgence
The U.S. government is able to take on high-risk, high-cost ventures—nuclear security, pandemic response, environmental clean-up, food safety, and more—because civil servants ...

By Loren DeJonge Schulman
Commentary
- Just Security
- June 3, 2022
Western Hemisphere Migration is a Long-Term Challenge
Addressing western hemisphere migration should be a national and international priority....

By Carrie Cordero & Cris Ramón
Podcast
- May 31, 2022
The Lawfare Podcast: Klein and Cordero on the Latest FISA Numbers
To discuss the latest in FISA transparency news, the data and what it all means, Benjamin Wittes sat down on Lawfare Live with Carrie Cordero of the Center for a New American ...

By Carrie Cordero