Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced legislation to require the Department of Defense to establish strict criteria for officers serving in the military’s sexual assault prevention programs.

Under the new legislation, the DOD would be compelled to review the background and certifications of sexual assault programs personnel, as well as retrain and recertify officers if needed. Additionally, the DOD would have to promulgate regulations to establish minimum levels of training for sexual assault prevention programs personnel.

“As a former prosecutor, I know how important it is to have strong policies in place to combat sexual assault,” Klobuchar said. “This legislation would help make sure sexual assault prevention personnel are qualified and effective. I will continue to work to ensure offenders are prosecuted and make sure victims have the support they need and deserve.”

The legislation comes after an Army sergeant assigned as coordinator of Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program in Fort Hood, Texas, was accused of sexual violence. No charges have been pressed, according to a Department of Defense news release.

This case comes after the early May arrest of Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski over charges of sexual battery. Krusinski was in charge Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program.

Earlier this year, McCaskill introduced legislation to alter the power of military leaders to lessen or suspend the sentence of a court-martial, in response to a general’s decision to overturn a jury verdict in a sexual assault case in Aviano Air Base in Italy.

She has also called for a review of the background and qualifications of officers assigned to sexual assault prevention programs, amidst an increasing number of sexual violence incidents in the military.

“Now is the time for our military leaders to reevaluate who is being put into these positions,” McCaskill said in a statement. “Are folks filling these jobs who aren’t succeeding elsewhere? Or are these jobs being given to our best leaders? These allegations call for a review and possible changes to personnel and the training they receive. There is a clear need to change our military justice system to better hold perpetrators accountable and protect survivors of sexual assault.”

Last week McCaskill met with Commandant of Marine Corps James Amos to discuss the role of the military leadership in combating sexual assault and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.

“I’m continually encouraged by leaders like Gen. James Amos who demonstrate that our military leaders are ready to work with us to seriously tackle the toxic issue of sexual assaults within our ranks,” McCaskill said. “I was glad for the opportunity to talk with him about how we can change the military justice system to better hold perpetrators accountable and protect survivors.”
 
Amos signed a proposal in 2012 to reinvigorate the Marine’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. On the report accompanying the proposal, he said the Marines’ leadership has been ineffective in responding to and eliminating sexual assault within its ranks.

“In far too many cases across the Marine Corps, poor command climates due to unengaged leadership are eroding the trust necessary for victims to safely report these crimes,” Amos said. “Sexual assault is not an inevitable byproduct of a mixed gender force; it is a crime.”

McCaskill; Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me.; and Reps. Mike Turner, R-Ohio.; and Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., hosted a press conference Thursday to announce their bipartisan, bicameral bill to reform the Uniform Code of Military Justice and increase the services and protections provided to sexual assault victims.

The lawmakers had previously sponsored the Coast Guard Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act, also known as the STRONG Act, which applies sexual assault protections enacted in other branches of military to the United States Coast Guard.

“We’ve seen cases where survivors of sexual assault have remained in close proximity to their alleged or convicted attackers — a situation so traumatizing and inappropriate it angers me to think about,” McCaskill said in a statement. “This bill ensures that the men and women of the United States Coast Guard will have the same options as their brothers and sisters in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and that survivors receive the legal resources they need to pursue justice.”