Sen. Gillibrand's call for a vote

Our military justice system is broken. It is failing our men and women who so bravely serve. No matter how many small reforms we make, as long as commanders with no legal experience are continuing to make these important decisions about violent sexual crimes, we are not going to solve this problem. Our commanders are great at winning wars and training troops. They are not prosecutors. They are not even lawyers. They are warfighters, and their job is to keep our country safe, not make legal judgments about whether to prosecute a rape. Once and for all, let’s take this decision to prosecute these crimes and instead give it to trained military prosecutors. Let’s give our servicemembers a justice system that is worthy of their service. This is our chance, and I urge everyone to vote yes if we have a vote. [S3788]

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D.-NY), on the floor of the Senate, June 10, 2016