Biden signs a landmark law withdrawing military sexual abuse prosecutions from military leaders

US President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order to carry out military justice reforms aimed at strengthening the military's response to sexual assault cases and stripping military commanders of decision-making power on these sensitive issues. The executive order provides for the appointment of specialized prosecutors independent of the command, who are tasked with investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence in the military, thus exempting the military command from carrying out prosecutions related to sexual assaults, domestic violence, and abuse of minors. These special prosecutors, who will be appointed to each branch of the military, will replace the existing commanders responsible for the investigation and potential prosecutions of their subordinates, a system that, according to its critics, can create conflicts of interest. In the past, victims who reported abuse found themselves at the mercy of their superiors, who decided whether to take complaints seriously. Members of Congress have clashed with military leaders for years over the issue, arguing that commanders sometimes ignored accusations or events in their units to protect those accused of crimes. Meanwhile, military leaders argued that bringing in independent prosecutors could undermine the chain of command. "The historic reforms announced today will better protect victims and ensure that prosecutorial decisions are completely independent of military leaders," the White House statement said. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has formed an independent committee to make recommendations on the best ways to deal with perpetrators of sexual harassment in the ranks of the armed forces, and how to hold them accountable in a more effective way. The commission concluded that the only solution was to remove decision-making power in sexual assault cases from the military chain of command. Instead of imposing administrative penalties as was the case previously, perpetrators of harassment may now face imprisonment