End commanders’ power to block military sex assault cases, Pentagon panel says April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. (Sgt. Sarah D. Sangster/Army) WASHINGTON A Pentagon panel is recommending that decisions to prosecute service members for sexual assault be made by independent authorities, not commanders, in what would be a major reversal of military practice and a change long sought by Congress members, The Associated Press has learned. The recommendation by an independent review commission created by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin goes against decades of vehement Pentagon arguments to keep cases within the chain of command. It was among a number of initial recommendations delivered to Austin on Thursday, according to two senior defense officials.
Service chiefs will weigh in on controversial plan to remove commanders’ control over sexual assault cases 18 hours ago Slain soldier Spc. Vanessa Guillen s family has said she didn t report sexual harassment because she believed her leadership would ignore it. An independent Pentagon commission has recommended that such cases be investigated outside the chain of command. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via AP) Now that a Pentagon review commission has made the controversial recommendation to strip commanders of their authority to oversee sexual assault and harassments cases, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wants to get feedback from top military leaders before making any final decisions about formal changes.
STRATCOM boss clarifies comments on ‘zero’ extremism in his organization 4 hours ago Adm. Charles Richard, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on April 20, 2021. (EJ Hersom/DoD) It’s great to be confident, but there can be too much of a good thing when it comes to throwing out unscientific claims in front of Congress. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Strategic Command’s Adm. Chaz Richard took a question about domestic extremism, telling lawmakers that, “I am very confident that the number of extremists in my forces is zero,” adding that the security clearance process would weed out any bad actors in his organization.
US military begins shipping equipment in Afghanistan pullout prep 2 hours ago A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle is loaded on a flatbed trailer as part of the Army Field Support Battalion - Afghanistan, 10th Mountain Division Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade retrograde cargo operation on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, July 12, 2020. (Sgt. 1st Class Corey Vandiver/Army) KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan, a U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday. The pullout under U.S. President Joe Biden marks the end of America’s longest war after a 20-year military engagement. Currently, some 2,500 U.S. soldiers and about 7,000 allied forces are still in Afghanistan.
Earlier withdrawal for international troops from Afghanistan under consideration The Associated Press 2 hours ago A soldier of the Camp Marmal Force Protection Group mans a machine gun atop a vehicle as part of a patrol on Aug. 8, 2011, at Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. (MC1 Burt W. Eichen/Navy) BERLIN Discussions are underway among military planners with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Kabul for a possible withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan as early as July 4, Germany’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday. If agreed, the date would move up by more than two months the timeline to bring international troops home. “The Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul are currently considering whether to shorten the withdrawal period,” Defense Ministry spokesman David Helmbold told reporters in Berlin. “The 4th of July is now being considered as a pullout date. The ministry informed the (German parliament’s) defense committee about this today.”