A blue-ribbon Pentagon panel appointed to recommend changes in the military justice system opposes any effort to strip commanders' authority over prosecutions, dealing another defeat to critics of the system.
The panel last week handed down dozens of recommendations covering the way the military prosecutes sexual assaults, including a controversial call to take senior commanders out of the legal process.
The panel was created by Congress in the wake of highly publicized sexual assault incidents that included misconduct at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where 35 basic training instructors have been investigated for misconduct with 69 recruits and technical school students. It ended up backing top Pentagon leaders, who want commanders to rule on courts-martial.
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