THE US Army he now trusts the handling of cases sexual violence in special prosecutors, independent of the military hierarchythe Pentagon announced today, implementing the reform recently approved by Congress.

It is the most significant reform of military law since the 1950s, the White House said in July when President Joe Biden signed the executive order.

Special prosecutors in each branch of the armed forces will replace commanders who until now have handled investigations and, if deemed appropriate, prosecuted their subordinates. “This major change to the US military justice system will greatly enhance independent investigations into sexual assault and other serious crimes,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

A senior Pentagon official said that going forward, victim complaints “will be systematically and professionally investigated, based on the practice and procedures of civil justice.”

In July 2021 a commission of inquiry released its report which concluded that 20,000 soldiers are sexually assaulted each year, but fewer than 8,000 report the incident and, of those, fewer than 5,000 request an investigation. Few complaints ultimately lead to an investigation by military justice.

Based on the most recent Pentagon report available, from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, there were 8,942 reported cases of sexual assault within the US military.