As a new school year approaches, a group of Senate Democrats is pressing the Defense Department to implement legally mandated reforms meant to prevent sexual assault in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
While the Pentagon previously told lawmakers it has an “unwavering commitment” to the safety of high school students participating in the program, the lawmakers said the department needs to show that commitment by carrying out the changes Congress required in its annual defense policy bill.
“These reforms are necessary to ensure schools protect students from sexual misconduct by JROTC instructors and do not force students into the program against their will,” the senators wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent Monday and obtained exclusively by Military.com. “We urge you to implement these reforms prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year, and we request information on how you will do so.”
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The letter was organized by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel subcommittee. It was co-signed by fellow Armed Services Committee members Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the letter or the status of implementing the reforms, telling…
