Today's
Army Times has
an article concerning the hearings conducted by the
Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel, including whether the panel's subcommittees should meet behind closed doors. The full panel's next public hearing will be on January 30, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
The Army Times article quotes the panel chair:
ReplyDelete“I’m vexed by this issue. One way to assess it is, should we defer to senior military leaders with the kind of experience and service you’ve had?” she said, speaking to panelists who oppose the Gillibrand amendment. “Or should we defer to victims of sexual assault who want to make this happen?”
Is the panel assuming it should defer to some sector of the military (leaders or victims), and its only choice is which one? Why the discomfort with independent exercise of civilian judgment? Deference to military judgment is appropriate only when the military has demonstrated its expertise and experience in doing something well, and this situation does not qualify.
One of Senator Gillibrand's greatest contributions as a senator is her willingness to engage in thoughtful civilian control despite attempts to portray her as insufficiently respectful of the military. For most senators, that's enough to keep them silent.