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Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. The new legislation would create an impartial, fair, and accountable military justice system for sexual assault and other serious crimes, as well as provide additional prevention measures.  

The bill would change how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision to prosecute out of the chain of command and giving it to independent, trained military prosecutors. The bill also introduces several new prevention provisions, such as more training for commanders and increased physical security measures. 

Over the past decade, the number of reported sexual assaults has doubled from 3,327 in 2010 to 7,825 in 2019, but the actual number of sexual assaults, including those not reported, is estimated to be 20,000.

Tina Tchen, president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now, provided the following statement:

“The U.S. military is our nation’s largest and most influential workplace — yet harassment, assault, and discrimination are systemic and pervasive. This critical legislation offers a historic opportunity to ensure fairness, inclusion, accountability, and justice in our armed forces. 

“TIME’S UP applauds this new bill, along with broader executive and congressional action to remove prosecution of sexual assault and harassment from the chain of command and prevent sexual harassment and discrimination from occurring at all. A safer work environment is critical to ensuring force readiness, retention, and military effectiveness, all of which are critical to U.S. national security.”

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TIME'S UP Now