Congress set to change military sexual assault prosecutions

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of debate, Congress is on track to change how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, by taking some authority out of the hands of commanders and instead using independent prosecutors. The changes were spurred on by a growing number of sexual misconduct cases in the military, and buoyed by support from President Joe Biden and senior Pentagon leaders. They were included in a broader defense bill that passed the House late Tuesday and is headed to the Senate for almost certain approval. But several senators, led by Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, say the measure doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t fully remove commanders from the cases.