Even in our world of hyper-partisan politics where "compromise" is seen as a dirty word, there is at least one issue that can unite Democrats and Republicans. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have stated that the current sexual assault epidemic in the military is a very serious problem, although even within the two parties, there is no consensus on how to deal with it.

According to a 2011 issue of Newsweek, a female member of the military is more likely to be assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed or injured in combat. The United States Department of Defense estimates that there are just under 20,000 cases of sexual assault in the military per year. Pentagon statistics have found one in five women and one in 15 men who serve will be victims of attempted or successful sexual assault.

According to 2013 statistics from the Pentagon, only 1,000 troops formally requested an investigation into their assaults and just half of those requests were actually processed and looked into. Of those processed cases, less than 100 cases went on to a military trial or court-martial, because victims either dropped charges or there was not enough evidence, much like in many of civilian cases. In some cases, according to The New York Times, the victims are punished more severely than the perpetrators, on charges of adultery and inappropriate fraternizing. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs facilities have reported than 15 percent of the female troops who come for various treatments also need counseling for military sexual trauma.

These are chilling statistics. Those who sacrifice so much to defend our country should not have to fear sexual violence or sexual assault, and yet they do. There seems to be little action within the military to make serious changes.

The New York Times published an article on Nov. 7 which stated that the number of sexual assault victims who come forward with their stories rose by nearly 50 percent this year. While it is promising that female troops feel safe enough to report what happened to them, this is only endemic of the greater problem. For every victim who reports, there are still those who are silenced and shamed for what happened.

I do applaud Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for working to change policies for victims to get justice without having to jump through procedural hoops such as a complex process of reporting assaults, or discharges while the process is going on. It is also promising that two pieces of legislation, one sponsored by Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill and the other by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, are currently moving through the Senate with wide bipartisan support.

However, these two bills are currently in opposition to each other. Senator Gillibrand's bill, the more progressive of the two, would completely change how the military deals with assault as it would remove sexual assault and violence cases from the chain of command and make them ruled on in civilian, not military courts. This proposal would effectively keep the military out of sexual assault trials. In contrast, Senator McCaskill's proposal is significantly more modest, focused on reforming the system while working with the military by putting Secretary Hagel's suggestions, which include better victim support and standardized and stricter punishments for perpetrators, into law. The Gillibrand bill is very popular with women's groups and some senators. The Pentagon has stated that the McCaskill proposal is preferable and would be easier to implement.

However, my biggest fear is that these two bills will sink each other. After all, 50 senators have pledged they will support Gillibrand, but some of the most powerful players, like Carl Levin, the senior Democrat from Michigan and chair of the Armed Services Committee, back McCaskill. It is difficult enough to pass a piece of legislation in the Senate when an entire party supports it. With both parties split among themselves, the process becomes next to impossible.

Gillibrand's plan for dealing with sexual assault in the military would give the military much needed reform; the current system is fundamentally flawed because it does not get victims justice and needs a complete overhaul. At the same time, her bill may be dead on arrival in the House of Representatives, and the McCaskill bill has the best chance of becoming law.

My hope is that these two women are able to reconcile their bills into one piece of legislation that can pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives. They surely will both have to compromise to do this, and the bill will not be perfect. I do not know if the two senators would be willing to reconcile bills that are so different, or if it is even possible. But the priority is getting a piece of legislation passed and on the president's desk.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed, and our armed forces cannot afford for this to be pushed off any longer.
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