Military's Sex Assault Investigations Need Serious Overhaul

It has been a disgraceful week for the US military and sexual assault: First, the man in charge of preventing sexual assault in the Air Force, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinksi, is charged with committing sexual battery; then it's reported that military sexual assault reports rose 6% last year; and then an Air Force general blamed the problem on America's "hook-up mentality." But if there's an upside to all this, it's that this confluence of events may finally inspire some reform, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times—not least of all because "three of the six Senate Armed Services subcommittees are now led by women."

Over in the LA Times, Robin Abcarian concurs. "Maybe, in the end, we will thank Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinksi," she writes. "When it comes to dealing with the rape and assault epidemic that plagues our armed forces, Krusinksi's tawdry story puts the finest point on all you need to know about the military’s problem with saying one thing and doing another." Both agree: sexual assault investigations need to be removed from the chain of command. "The military brass cossetting predators are on notice," writes Dowd. "The women of Congress are on the case." Click to read Dowd's full column here and Abcarian's full column here. (More US military stories.)