![Top Pentagon officials open to limited change in the military justice system to address sexual assault](https://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/06/11/ecf2a49f-e4d5-48ca-a4a6-7647d9eb25c0/thumbnail/1200x630/e20cf0e8e83a10a95c79a346c38dbfc8/gettyimages-1322879590.jpg)
Top Pentagon officials open to limited change in the military justice system to address sexual assault
CBSN
The Defense Department's top leaders Thursday signaled an openness to remove prosecutorial decisions on sexual assault from the chain of command. But they voiced reservations about overhauling the military justice system for all serious crimes, as some senators are pushing in a recent bill.
The Defense Department's top officer, General Mark Milley, said he is open minded to "significant and fundamental change" in the area of sexual assault and harassment but would want to see "some detailed study" before changes to the military justice system are applied to all serious crimes. The remarks came in response to questions at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who has been pushing for years for changes to the military justice system to address the issue of sexual assault and harassment in the military.![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250214202746.jpg)
Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting at this year's Munich Security conference to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vance said the U.S. seeks a "durable" peace, while Zelenskyy expressed the desire for extensive discussions to prepare for any end to the conflict.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250214133557.jpg)
Washington — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation's largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who hadn't yet gained civil service protection - potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250214133528.jpg)
It was Labor Day weekend 2003 when Matt Scribner, a local horse farrier and trainer who also competes in long-distance horse races, was on his usual ride in a remote part of the Sierra Nevada foothills — just a few miles northeast of Auburn, California —when he noticed a freshly dug hole along the trail that piqued his curiosity.