After a Decade of Effort, Big Changes Could Be Coming to the Way the Military Handles Sexual Assault U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand listens as Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks during a news conference in New York, Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) 8 May 2021 Seven years ago, the military's top brass argued to Congress that commanders should retain the power to prosecute sexual assault cases to maintain "good order and discipline." But now, the idea of stripping commanders of that responsibility is advancing quickly both on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon. "I urge that military commanders remain central to the legal process," Gen. Martin Dempsey, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 2013. "The commander's ability to preserve good order and discipline remains essential to accomplishing any change within our profession. Reducing command responsibility could adversely affect the ability of the commander to enforce professional standards and, ultimately, to accomplish the mission."