On Thursday, Feb 6, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) held a press conference to discuss her bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). The legislation would remove the decision to prosecute rape and sexual assault cases from a conflicted and often-biased chain of command, and put it into the hands of independent prosecutors.
Last week, we interviewed Paula Coughlin about the proposed law. Coughlin is a Protect Our Defenders Advisory Board Member, retired Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. She served in the US Navy as a helicopter pilot, serving aboard Naval vessels as one of the earliest women in aviation to become flight deck qualified and maintenance officer/post maintenance check qualified. While serving as Aide de camp at the Naval Air Test Center, in 1991, her role as a whistle-blower in the infamous Tailhook Convention ended her aviation career. She is featured in the documentary “The Invisible War.”
Listen to her interview here.