Leaning In: Actions Taken by Congresswomen of the 113th Congress to Address Military Sexual Assault

Abstract

On May 6, 2013 the Department of Defense released its Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. According to this report, the number of sexual assaults reported by members of the military in fiscal year 2012 rose six percent, from 3,183 to 3,374. An anonymous survey included in the report detailed that “…the number of service members who had experienced unwanted sexual contact could be as many as 26,000, but most never reported the incidents. That number is an increase over the 19,000 estimated assaults in 2011.” This report followed the March 2013 incident of an Air Force lieutenant general overturning the court martial sexual assault conviction of a lieutenant colonel fighter pilot, and was quickly succeeded by the June 2013 incident of an Army major general who was suspended for failing to report or investigate an allegation of sexual assault. Additionally, a major embarrassment for the Air Force was the arrest of their Chief of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program for sexual assault of a civilian woman, also in June. These reports, all coming on the heels of the 2012 documentary The Invisible War and years of Department of Defense senior leader testimony about new programs emplaced and progress made, created an immediate political reaction. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel briefed the press on May 7th stating, “This department may be nearing a stage where the frequency of this crime and the perception that there is tolerance of it could very well undermine our ability to effectively carry out the mission ...That is unacceptable to me and the leaders of this institution.” He announced a new series of steps to improve sexual assault prevention efforts and directed the service chiefs to hold “all military commanders accountable for establishing command climates of dignity and respect.” President Obama met with senior military leaders on May 16th and not only called the issue “shameful and disgraceful,” but stated that it made the military less effective, which is “dangerous to our national security.” While Secretary Hagel attempted to control the damage, numerous members of the 113th Congress decided that they needed to get involved. This Congress is unique in that it has a record number of 102 women – 82 in the House and 20 in the Senate. It also has a record-high, seven female members on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and eleven on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), making them a “formidable, aggressive force in questioning military brass and shaping legislation.” This confluence of high profile military sexual assault cases and the record number of both total Congresswomen and those on the Armed Services Committees in the 113th Congress directly contributed to the passage of strong legislation in January 2014 to better protect uniformed victims of sexual assault.