Collins applauds Defense’s efforts to curb sexual assault in the military

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) praised Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement that the Department of Defense will improve sexual assault prevention training among service members. 

"Right now there are dozens, if not hundreds, of survivors who are either quietly suffering from an attack or seeking to move the military justice system to hold an offender to account,” Collins said in a statement released Wednesday. “We cannot rest until the military's policy of zero tolerance is matched by a true culture of zero tolerance."

Panetta tasked all military branches with assessing initial training to ensure a safe and secure work environment in the wake of the sexual assault scandals. The DOD announced that the military would institute more consistent and improved sexual assault prevention and response instruction during pre-command training.

"The secretary of Defense continues to place significant emphasis on sexual assault prevention and response efforts,” Collins said. “But as is clear from the evidence that shows that sexual assaults remain one of the most insidious crimes committed against our women — and men — in uniform, more must be done to prevent sexual assaults from occurring in the first place, to educate commanders and advocates on the correct response when a sexual assault is alleged, and to hold offenders to account for their crimes."

Collins, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee, said she included provisions in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill requiring the military to improve and expand sexual assault prevention and response training. Collins also fought to ensure that survivors of sexual assault have the right to talk to victim advocates and are eligible for expedited base transfers away from their attacker.

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