Joint Chiefs Chair Milley willing to consider changing military sexual assault policy

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that he is willing to consider a proposal that would remove military commanders from the decision-making process in sexual assault prosecutions.

"We’ve been at it for years, and we haven’t effectively moved the needle," Milley said. "We have to. We must." An independent review commission submitted a number of recommendations to the Pentagon last month aimed at addressing sexual assault cases. The panel suggested that sexual assault cases should be referred to designated independent judge advocates reporting to the civilian-led office of the Chief Special Victim Prosecutor. The office would determine if charges were warranted and whether the case should proceed to a court-martial. The system would apply to cases of alleged sexual assault or harassment as well as certain hate crimes.