U.S. Pres. Joe Biden Signs Order Making Sexual Harassment a Crime in Military Code

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday making sexual harassment a crime under the military code.

The order will also solidify the military's response to domestic violence and the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images, according to an Axios report.

Last year, Biden expressed support for the U.S. military removing sexual harassment and assault cases from the hands of those leading.

Biden said in July that they need concrete actions that fundamentally change the way they handle military sexual assault while making clear that the sexual crimes will not be minimized or dismissed.

The code was called for by the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, CBS News reported.

The Defense Department's top official, Gen. Mark Milley, said last summer that he is open to "significant and fundamental" change in how the military handles sexual assault and harassment.

However, Milley noted that he would want to see a "detailed study" before the military justice system changes how it manages serious crimes.

The new agreement stated that military prosecutors would replace commanders in deciding whether those accused of sexual assault, rape, murder, and domestic violence would be prosecuted.

It was a move that was initially resisted by lawmakers and Pentagon leaders for decades.

Executive Order in The Military Code

Former chief prosecutor of the U.S. Air Force Don Christensen said in December that the new legislation was the "most significant military justice reform" in the country's history, according to The New York Times report.

There would be special trial counsel who would directly report to the Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries under the new order.

Commanders will be able to maintain their authority to conduct the trials, choose jury members, grant immunity, as well as approve witnesses.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had been disturbed by the shortcomings of the current system during years as an Army general.

Milley initially opposed the changes but acknowledged that junior enlisted troops had largely lost faith that sexual assault cases would be handled fairly.

Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Military

CBS News reported that around 100,000 incidents of domestic abuse have been reported to the military since 2015.

Meanwhile, the military has not kept comprehensive data on the problem, making it impossible to assess the full scope.

The new investigation unveiled that domestic abuse is a similar crisis on the home front, with some survivors saying they felt they were in more danger after they reported.

Now-retired Master Sergeant Erica Johnson told Air Force leaders in 2019 that she was being physically and sexually assaulted, which prompted an investigation by the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations.

However, Johnson said that the investigation did not go anywhere, adding that the leaders would not accept evidence from her.

She said that they did not use her statements.

Johnson has not received a copy of the report regarding her allegations. However, she was told that the commander decided not to take any action based on the findings.

On Apr. 22, 2020, Vanessa Guillen disappeared. Her case had made headlines, capturing the attention of the nation, including celebrities and public figures.

On July 2, prosecutors announced a charge in the case, with the suspect being another soldier identified as U.S. Army Specialist Aaron Robinson.

Before the charge was announced, Robinson had killed himself with a pistol. His girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was also arrested.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Biden signs order criminalizing military sexual harassment - from CBS Evening News