National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUNT. I thank Senator McCaskill, my colleague from Missouri, and Senator Gillibrand both for the effort, the time, the commitment, the focus they have made on this issue. They have clearly both been at the frontlines of changing the underlying bill.

There are two things Senator Gillibrand said that I absolutely agree with. The underlying bill is strong. It is a step in the right direction. It is the result of our committee debate, our committee action. I think I heard the Senator from New York say she was supporting the McCaskill amendment which adds even additional strength to that.

I also am supporting that amendment. I think it does make the bill even stronger. It says the commanders will be evaluated based on this as one of the factors; that no longer would this just be something if it happens to come up you talk about it, but the commanders will be evaluated based on what they did to change the command atmosphere, what they did to protect people against sexual assault, what they did to create an atmosphere where these things not only do not happen, but when they do happen, they are vigorously dealt with and looked to as something that has to be dealt with, and the commander should be evaluated in that way.

There is another layer of review in the McCaskill amendment. If the commander disagrees with something that has happened in this process, they have to kick that review up another level. The so-called good soldier defense is no longer a defense. This is about this incident, this assault, this accusation, and dealt with solely in that way because of this additional amendment that I think many of us will support that will be added to what is already a strong underlying bill.

Also, this amendment would allow victims to express a preference, whether they would have this pursued in a civilian trial or in a military trial, a court-martial. Those are all good additions. I think that is why--not only why Senator McCaskill proposed them, but the Senator from New York and I would be supporting that amendment.

I believe the amendment improves what the committee did. But I think the committee had a full debate and a long debate and a vigorous debate on how important it is the commanders be involved. Senator McCaskill, my colleague from Missouri, has been a leader on this all her time in the Senate.

When she came to the Senate, one of the things in her background was her work as a county prosecutor and, more specifically, a prosecutor for sexual assault cases. I have relied on her judgment as we looked at these issues, and I think her judgment is borne out by so many things we heard in the committee.

Senator Ayotte will be speaking in support of the McCaskill amendment and underlying bill. Senator Fischer, a member of the Armed Services Committee, will also be part of that debate.

The Armed Services Committee introduced a bill that has the most comprehensive legislation targeting sexual assault that has ever been considered by the Congress. We added to that amendment these important elements of another McCaskill amendment. There are 26 provisions in the underlying bill which deal with this issue. It was among the most difficult decisions I think we met, but also one of the most important decisions we met: the idea that commanders would have responsibility for the atmosphere they create.

One of the things that was mentioned more than once was the integration of the Armed Forces. I stand by Senator Truman's desk, one of our predecessors in this Senate from Missouri. He signed the order that integrated the Armed Forces. President Eisenhower pursued that further, but only when the command structure was given absolute responsibility to deal with what had become a real problem. There were even race riots on ships, according to Senator McCain, who talked to us about this issue. It was when the commanders were given the responsibility to see that this problem was solved that it was solved.

I think this bill, and the additional amendment I will be supporting, the McCaskill amendment, clarifies in new ways how important it is that commanders accept this as part of their command responsibility.

The numbers Senator Gillibrand talked about are totally unacceptable. One of the things commanders will be evaluated on in the future will be what they did about changing that environment. In my view, taking them out of the command responsibility in this area makes it less likely, not more likely, that the atmosphere will change.

I ask unanimous consent for 1 additional minute. Since Senator Ayotte is not here to object, I will take it from her time.

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Mr. BLUNT. The fact that this is in the bill and further improved, I believe, by the amendment, clearly says we are going to change the culture of the military.

Had it not been for the hard work of my colleagues, particularly Senator McCaskill and Senator Gillibrand, this bill would not be as far along as it is. Their difference of opinion is not about solving this problem, because we all believe this problem is going to be solved. I think we all believe this bill takes a significant and strong step toward doing that. I feel most Senators will believe the McCaskill amendment adds another element to the bill.

I am glad the defense committee, the Armed Services Committee, and now the U.S. Senate, are taking additional steps to solve this problem. It is a tragedy for every individual in the military, man or woman, who has been the victim of a sexual assault, reported or not. Whatever we can do to see that they are reported, minimized, and finally ended is what ought to happen. I hope this bill does that, and I believe it does.

I was pleased to be part of bringing this bill to the floor, and I will be pleased when the McCaskill amendment is added to it today, and we face a new view of how this issue is dealt with.

I yield the floor.

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