The Military Justice Improvement Act: A Struggle for Reform

Abstract

This study investigates the evolution of military sexual trauma (MST) and military sexual assault (MSA) laws under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to decide what elements encouraged Congressional interventions leading to policy change. Moreover, this study will look at the consequences of these policy changes in the view of MSA prosecution and prevention. Scholars have written about the pervasiveness of MSA and the hardships of navigating the military judicial system. However, literature tracing the history of MSA to identify deficiencies and suggest solutions seems to be scarce. This study is a fitting addition to the academic sub-discipline of Critical Military Studies (CMS). It seems appropriate that there be a study written by a prior-enlisted junior veteran, having first-hand experience of the injustices endured by service-members. CMS is a community of multidisciplinary academics and activists, critically analyzing military authority (CMS Journal: Our Scope and Aims, 2019).