(Washington D.C.) -- Iowa's two U.S. Senators have joined a bi-partisan effort to prevent sexual assaults in the U.S. Military. The measure calls for training up and down the chain of command, as well as protections for survivors.
"This bill will take steps towards preventing and reducing those heart wrenching crimes, to help ensure survivors are treated with the dignity, respect and the justice that they so deserve," said Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a former commander in the Iowa National Guard and a sex assault survivor.
"Once that sexual assault has occurred, you can't go back, you can't change what has happened and as a survivor you will relive that moment of your life over and over again, and I can tell you it's not positive," said Ernst.
"We owe it to our service members to prevent these crimes, and to properly prosecute them when they occur," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The military justice reform legislation aims to professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision to prosecute from the chain of command to independent, trained, professional military prosecutors. It also includes new prevention provisions such as more training for commanders. The bill also calls for increased physical security measures, while ensuring that commanders still have the ability to provide strong leadership and ensure a successful command climate.