President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday changing the way the military handles sexual assault and harassment accusations in the military, taking the alleged victim’s chain of command largely out of the reporting process to streamline the investigation process, Politico reports.
The new process assigns independent military prosecutors in serious cases to remove the decision-making process from the reporting soldier’s chain of command, which is typically comprised of friends, colleagues and subordinates of the personnel of the accused. Biden’s order intents to provide more ways for victims to report and pursue serious offenses without fear of retribution from commanding officers and NCOs.
“The historic reforms announced today will better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions are fully independent from the chain of the command,” the White House statement said.