News
White House Briefing Room Statement: President Biden Signs Historic Military Sexual Assault Reforms
Sunday, July 30, 2023 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
FACT SHEET: President Biden to Sign Executive Order Implementing Bipartisan Military Justice Reforms
July 28, 2023
The White House
BRIEFING ROOM
STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
Today, President Biden will sign an Executive Order to implement historic, bipartisan military justice reforms that significantly strengthen how the military handles sexual assault cases. The Executive Order transfers key decision-making authorities from commanders to specialized, independent military prosecutors in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, murder, and other serious offenses by amending the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
These changes, which implement reforms passed by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (FY22 NDAA), represent the most significant transformation of the military justice system since the UCMJ was established in 1950. The historic reforms announced today will better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions are fully independent from the chain of the command. They follow decades of tireless efforts by survivors, advocates, and Members of Congress, to strengthen the military justice system’s response to gender-based violence and build on recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC), which Secretary Austin established at President Biden’s direction as one of his earliest acts in office.
These reforms are a turning point for survivors of gender-based violence in the military. They fulfill President Biden’s promise to fundamentally shift how the military justice system responds to sexual assault and related crimes, which is something President Biden has prioritized since Day One of this administration. Ending gender-based violence wherever it occurs has been a top priority for the President throughout his career—as a Senator, and as Vice President. As Commander in Chief, he’s made clear that our one truly sacred obligation as a nation is to prepare and equip those we send into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families both while they are deployed and when they return home. The reforms implemented through today’s Executive Order do just that, promoting dignity and respect for those who serve by better protecting our servicemembers and making the military safer and more just.
Today’s Executive Order takes important action to reform our military justice system by amending the Manual for Courts-Martial and its accompanying Rules for Courts-Martial including by:
Establishing the rules that will govern the new Offices of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC), the independent military prosecutors who will now decide, in the place of commanders, whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence, child abuse, and murder;
Making clear that prosecutorial decisions made by special trial counsel are binding and fully independent from the chain of command;
Delineating the relationship and authorized interactions between special trial counsel and commanders to protect the independence of special trial counsel;
Modernizing procedures to better protect victims and promote fairness before, during and after court-martial proceedings;
Reforming the court-martial sentencing system to promote uniformity and fairness, as recommended by the IRC, to reduce disparities in sentencing in cases of rape and sexual assault; and
Creating a uniform evidence standard for non-judicial punishment actions, which the IRC highlighted as critical to make consistent across the military services given that most sexual misconduct cases are handled by nonjudicial punishment rather than courts-martial.
This month also marks two years since the IRC published its final report, outlining recommendations to improve accountability, prevention, climate and culture, and victim care and support. Today’s Executive Order advances the IRC’s core accountability recommendations and builds on the progress that has already been made by the Department of Defense in implementing the IRC’s more than 80 recommendations, including:
Establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. In July 2022, with direction from Secretary Austin, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, including the Space Force, established and staffed their OSTCs to assume authority for prosecutorial decisions for covered offenses including sexual assault and domestic violence at the end of 2023. Beginning January 1, 2025, special trial counsel prosecutorial authority will expand to include sexual harassment cases.
Hiring, Training, and Empowering the Prevention Workforce. Consistent with the IRC’s recommendation to establish a dedicated prevention workforce with public health expertise, the Department of Defense launched a phased approach to hiring a primary prevention workforce with 2,000 skilled professionals who will promote the health of their military community and work with leaders to change policies and implement prevention activities. In December 2022, the Department of Defense released guidance for this new workforce, and hiring and onboarding is underway at installations around the world.
Strengthening and Professionalizing the Sexual Assault Response Workforce. The Department of Defense, in collaboration with the Military Services and National Guard has adopted a comprehensive approach to restructuring, professionalizing, strengthening, and resourcing for the sexual assault response workforce. This includes moving Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) and Victim Advocates (VAs) from the command reporting structure, and generally eliminating collateral duty for SARCs and VAs. This standardized approach across the Department of Defense is nearing completion.
Improving the Military’s Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment. Recognizing sexual assault can overlap with other forms of gender-based violence, the IRC recommended ways to improve accountability and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual harassment. The Administration has:
Reissued and revised the Defense Department’s domestic abuse policy in December 2021. Key updates include expanding eligibility for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program services to domestic violence survivors who have experienced sexual assault;
Tracked the prevalence of domestic abuse/intimate partner-related sexual assault by collecting information on the victim-perpetrator relationship in the Workplace and Gender Relations Surveys of Active-Duty Members (WGRA), and Workplace and Gender Relations Surveys of Reserve Component Members (WGRR);
Expanded victim advocate services, reporting options and support to survivors of sexual harassment, through new guidance issued by the Department of Defense in September 2022. This guidance has been implemented across all Military Departments;
Starting with the Navy and the Marine Corps, issued policies for the independent investigation of sexual harassment reports, moving these investigations outside the chain of command of both the individual reporting sexual harassment and the alleged offender. The Department of Defense is working to develop a comprehensive approach to address this issue across all Military Departments; and
Amended the Manual for Courts-Martial through an Executive Order in January 2022 that established sexual harassment as a specific offense under the UCMJ, strengthening the military justice response in prosecuting cases of domestic violence, and implementing changes to the UCMJ to criminalize the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.
Independence Day & the Statue of Liberty
Tuesday, July 4, 2023 | Category: History/Heritage - National
4th of July U.S. Census Bureau "Facts for Features"
Statue of Liberty
The statue's original name was Liberty Enlightening the World. The statue was given to the United States by the French as a centennial gift in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the July 4, 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. The statue arrived in 1885 and in 1886 it was dedicated, ten years after the anniversary.
What does the Statue of Liberty represent? She is a symbol of the ideals of friendship between nations, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and new beginnings for peoples around the world.
Emma Lazarus wrote the famous 1883 sonnet which since the early 1900s, is on a bronze plaque in the statue's pedestal.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
National Veterans and Military Families Month
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - National
November is National Veterans and Military Families Month. Use the information highlighted in this downloadable fact sheet to help you celebrate the strengths of military families and their contributions to the military community and our nation.
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/products/national-veterans-and-military-families-month-fact-sheet-364/
This link below lists opportunities and activities scheduled around the nation.
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services Releases 2017 Report
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 | Category: Advocacy/Outreach - National
The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) released its 2017 annual report. The Committee advises the Defense Department on matters and policies relating to women in U.S. armed forces.
American Veteran: PBS Digital Series
Monday, January 24, 2022 | Category: History/Heritage - National
PBS Digital Series Quoted Description:
‘ Today, America has nearly 18 million living military veterans, from the “Greatest Generation” to men and women coming home from recent tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. They join the now-silent ranks of American veterans reaching back to our earliest conflict, the Revolutionary War.
American Veteran illuminates the veteran experience with a stunning range of voices from today and across the arc of American history.
The military is part of America’s founding story – a project to which, as George Washington put it, every citizen owed “his personal services.” In war and in peace, what veterans have done in America’s name, and how they have been treated when they return, is woven into the fabric of the American story and has had a profound impact on our nation.
For those who have served, from the beginning of the republic to the present, military service has been a transformative experience. What is that experience, and how does it change the men and women who have joined the ranks? And throughout the nation’s history, how have vets been perceived? Sometimes honored, sometimes reviled, ignored, or forgotten, veterans may re-enter civilian life to encounter a population that often has little or no knowledge of their experience.
"American Veteran" Panel Discussion and Q&A
Recorded on Nov. 10 in partnership with the Military Women's Memorial, this 60-minute virtual conversation is moderated by Army veteran Kelly Kennedy, an "American Veteran" consulting producer and award-winning journalism, and features highlights from the multi-platform initiative.’
Veterans Day 2021
Saturday, October 30, 2021 | Category: History/Heritage - National
A brief history of Veterans Day is posted on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
4th of July 245th Celebration at Military Women’s Memorial
Sunday, July 4, 2021 | Category: History/Heritage - National
Announcement on Military Women’s Memorial:
‘Celebrate America’s 245th Independence Day with the Military Women’s Memorial!
Enjoy a delicious catered buffet, beer and wine, live music, and family-friendly activities for all ages. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available. While celebrating, explore our various exhibits honoring military women, including our newest display, “Summer With The Arts,” which features over 180 pieces of original art by veterans and their loved ones.
Positioned at the end of Memorial Avenue, opposite the Arlington Memorial Bridge, our view of the annual firework show at the National Mall will be unmatched.
Special group pricing available upon request (10 people and up) – send to development@womensmemorial.org.
Tickets available for purchase until Wednesday, June 30th.’
National Military Appreciation Month
Monday, May 3, 2021 | Category: History/Heritage - National
The month of May is designated as “National Military Appreciation Month.”
Video: 2020 23d Annual Memorial Day Program at WIMSA Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | Category: History/Heritage - National
You can view the 23d Annual Memorial Day Program hosted at the Women in Military Service for America memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. at this internet link. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 memorial service was a virtual experience.
Online Women’s Memorial Day Program: May 25, 2020, 4:00 p.m.
Monday, May 25, 2020 | Category: History/Heritage - National
To prepare for the event, make sure you connect on the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Facebook page.
While everyone cannot come together in person, Memorial leadership is excited and honored to recognize America’s servicemembers with you on Memorial Day and every day.