Too many cooks?

A remarkable array of governmental entities is, has been, or could or will be involved in assessments of the U.S. military justice system. Setting aside the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the investigative practices review mandated by section 1732 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, we know of the following:

Code Committee on Military Justice (Code Committee), created by Congress (apparently not currently engaged in reform efforts); composed of the judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Judge Advocates General, the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and two public members

Military Justice Review Group; Senior Judge Andrew S. Effron of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces is the Director; staff of uniformed lawyers

Joint Service Committee on Military Justice (JSC); created by the Secretary of Defense; all-military plus two non-voting civilians; recommends changes to the Manual for Courts-Martial and functions on proposed changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice

Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel (576 Panel); federal advisory committee created by section 576(a)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013; tasking expanded by section 1731(a) of National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014; members appointed by congressional committee leadership and the Secretary of Defense; additional subcommittee members appointed by the Secretary of Defense

Judicial Proceedings Panel; federal advisory committee created by section 576(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013; tasking expanded by section 1731(b) of National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Defense Legal Policy Board (DLPB); federal advisory committee, with a subcommittee; members appointed by the Secretary of Defense; inactive since submission of report in May 2013

Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service (DACOWITS); decades-old federal advisory committee

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; independent statutory commission; issued report on sexual assault in the military in 2013