Press Release
☷Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III on the Offices of Special Trial Counsel
U.S. Department of Defense ( By Press Release office)
Jan 02,2024
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I ' m excited to announce that the four Offices of Special Trial Counsel , which are part of the Army , Air Force , Navy , and Marine Corps , are now fully operational . This means that 13 serious criminal offenses will no longer be handled by commanders , but by specially trained judge advocates who are independent and report directly to the Secretaries of the Military Departments . This is a huge change in the U . S . military justice system and will greatly improve the prosecution of sexual assault and other serious crimes in the Department of Defense . It ' s the most significant reform since the Uniform Code of Military Justice was created in 1950 . Our goal is to increase accountability and make sure that all our service members trust the fairness and integrity of the military justice system . I want to thank everyone who worked hard to make this happen . Our men and women in the military sacrifice so much for our country , and it ' s our duty to take care of them the best we can . Today ' s milestone is a big step towards modernizing the military justice system and ensuring that our service members have access to fair and unbiased justice .
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