Jim Inhofe: “first of all, let me state how much I appreciate the passion the Senator from New York has on this issue. She has been…”

“first of all, let me state how much I appreciate the passion the Senator from New York has on this issue. She has been so outspoken on this in committee, and I think most of us agree that there are problems out there that need to be addressed. In 2014, a congressionally mandated, independent panel of experts determined that there is no evidence that removing the authority to convene courts martial from commanders would reduce the incidence of sexual assault, increase reporting of sexual assaults, or improve the quality of investigations and prosecutions in sexual assault cases in the Armed Forces. The Department of Defense opposes this amendment on the grounds that doing so will endanger military readiness and combat effectiveness without promoting the goal of eliminating sexual assault. I don't know what the intentions of the Senator from New York are on this amendment, but in all fairness, I have to state that I will be opposing it. We did consider this in committee, and I have never seen a stronger advocate for a cause or an amendment than the Senator from New York. For some of us who have been in military service--I do have a problem with taking away the authority that has always historically been with the commander and feel that would not be to the benefit of the overall system. Two years ago, Congress passed extensive military justice reform, which will come into effect next year. I think that is correct.…”