Sen. Claire McCaskill continues to push for crackdown on sexual assaults in the military, and brings her fight to the homefront.
McCaskill met with Missouri National Guard leaders to discuss current programs in place, and how to further the success of them. What she heard is that it all comes down to one thing — funding, or lack of it. She says she’s working with military leaders in Washington to address funding shortfalls, best practices, and programs that work, such as in Missouri.
She commends the Missouri Guard for bringing its suicide rate from one of the highest in the country to one of the lowest in just a few years through new training and outreach programs.
She’s among those in Washington coming down on senior military leaders after it was discovered an Air Force commander dismissed the conviction of a lieutenant colonel for sexually assaulting a civilian employee at Aviana Air Force Base in Italy.
McCaskill is sponsoring legislation that would prohibit commanders from overturning jury verdicts in military convictions. The subcommittee she chairs heard testimony recently from sexual assault victims, who told her transfer options and legal aid were virtually non-existent.