With Allies *cough* Like These...

[Content Note: Sexual violence.]

Despite the onslaught of news about the US military's endemic sexual assault problem, and continuing revelations that the military itself is [CN: rape culture; misogyny; homophobia; disablism] not taking this shit seriously, a proposal "to place military sex assault cases in the hands of an independent prosecutor" has been stripped from the Defense Authorization Act and replaced "with a measure that instead requires senior military officers to review decisions when commanders refuse to prosecute a case."

By Democratic Senator Carl Levin.

An effort to place military sex assault cases in the hands of an independent prosecutor was thwarted late Tuesday when Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin sided with the top brass – and against a fellow Democrat.

Levin (D-Mich.) will strip a proposal by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) from the policy-setting Defense Authorization Act and replace it with a measure that instead requires senior military officers to review decisions when commanders refuse to prosecute a case.

Gillibrand's proposal - which had 27 co-sponsors, including 4 Republicans – came in response to complaints that the U.S. military has repeatedly failed to deal with the issue of sex assaults. The military has resisted efforts to involve outsiders in its handling of such cases.

Aides for Gillibrand told NBC's Capital Hill correspondent Kelly O'Donnell that the move was "a real setback."

She is expected to make another attempt to introduce her proposal when the defense bill comes up for a final vote later this summer.

Levin, who is not seeking re-election, is expected to accept an amendment from Senator Claire McCaskill to prevent commanders from overturning jury verdicts.

Which is a good and necessary step, but not enough. The issue is getting sexual assault cases in front of a jury in the first place.

Nothing is difficult to understand about: The chain of command doesn't work because sometimes the perpetrator is part of the chain of command. It doesn't work, it hasn't been working, and it will never work.

This isn't about elected representatives being obtuse. It's about elected representatives consciously choosing to side with abetting rapists, because it's unpopular to say that the military has failed the survivors among its ranks.