Head of Army Warns of Cost of Sexual Assault Plan

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

The head of the Army said Wednesday that taking decisions on prosecuting serious crimes away from commanders would be costly and harmful to the military as the Senate's chief sponsor of changing the justice system signaled that she may scale back her effort.

Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, criticized the proposal from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., ahead of an expected Senate vote on the measure that would alter decades-old laws on how the military deals with crimes within its ranks.

"I'm against taking commanders out of the process," Odierno told reporters at the Pentagon. "It's a big mistake."

Responding to an epidemic of sexual assaults, Gillibrand's legislation would remove commanders from the process of deciding whether serious crimes, including sexual misconduct cases, go to trial. Her proposal would give that authority to seasoned trial lawyers who have prosecutorial experience and hold the rank of colonel or higher.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/senator-considers-revising-sexual-assault-measure-20879266

[Swede Atlanta]

1. It is back to the good Ole Boy's club....

wink, wink...I raped her but it's okay because we are just men doing men things.....

This crap has got to stop. Commanders must be removed and independent, verifiable investigations conducted. Commanders are (a) afraid for their own positions and possibilities for advancement (b) afraid to be labelled too supportive of the lesser gender and (c) laughed out of the CO lounge for not proving that woman had what she was due for a horny military man in need.

I am so tired of the excuses of cost, impact on morale (they used this one to justify Don's Ask Don't Tell which turned out to be totally bogus), etc.

Time has come to call out the tiny pricks in the military command for what they are and get on with justice.

[840high]

18. ....

[TwilightGardener]

2. The solution is so obvious to me: leave the commanders in the process, but have a civilian

oversight mechanism for each and every case, to ensure that all parties are being treated fairly (especially the victims) and that the case is progressing as it should and is resolved properly. Why is that hard?

[defacto7]

11. Seems simple enough

but we can't do that in civilian life alone. How do you think we could accomplish fair treatment and due process with all the military trappings as well? Seems like more ways to silence and cover up to me. I think the process needs to be completely separated from military involvement. Then at least there would be one less corner to hide in.

[TwilightGardener]

13. The reasons for taking the process away from commanders are:

possible retribution/unfair treatment toward the victim (and reduced reporting because of that), and improper command influence and decision-making over investigation and judicial process. It would seem much less expensive and bureaucracy-heavy to leave the sytem as is, but tighten guidelines or add civilian controls so that commanders--and their units in general--have very little wiggle room to make a mistake or an unfair decision in these cases. If it doesn't work within two or three years, THEN take it out of their hands entirely with Gillibrand's idea.

[L0oniX]

3. Hey General Asshole ...RAPE is what IS "harmful" to the army.

[A Little Weird]

19. Bingo. n/t

[Ash_F]

4. Since when have Army brass been worried about cost? /nt

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Simple solution.

Let them.

But there needs to be a separate oversight channel, and if that channel is used, and the rape/sexual assault is proven in court, the commander that tried to spike the investigation gets half the sentence the offender gets. Automatically.

[RC]

15. Plus busted a rank or two and forced retirement.

[Oakenshield]

6. More go along to get along politics.

No one can ever rock the boat. The status quo must be maintained. They are cowards one and all who refuse stand up for our sexually abused men and women.

[SCVDem]

7. Go fuck yourself Ray!!

[kristopher]

8. Bullpuckey in a uniform

The system is broken and the keepers of the system like it that way.

Screw General Odierno and his willingness to perpetuate the dysfunction.

[DallasNE]

9. Gen. Odierno, If You Are Going To Level This Claim

Then you are obligated to quantify why it is so. Since you made no effort to do so one can assume that the claim cannot be quantified, making this nothing but a bunch of hot air.

[ZombieHorde]

10. Fuck that guy. nt

[BainsBane]

12. So letting rapists go unpunished saves money

Or by cost do they mean rape is somehow important to morale?

[Brigid]

14. This issue should be used as ammo . . .

By anyone trying to dissuade a friend or relative from joining the service. Man or woman, you are in more danger from other service members than from any "enemy."

[Deep13]

17. +1

[Deep13]

16. Ah, no, someone who does not know the defendant should decide.

What's the cost of not solving this problem?

[The Green Manalishi]

20. Fox. Henhouse. Guard.

EOM