TUCSON, Ariz. — Senator Martha McSally has been advocating for change since revealing last month she had been raped while serving in the Air Force.
On Friday, Sen. McSally visited Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to meet with commanders.
McSally says the impact on sexual assault victims is so severe, it's almost like a servicemember not getting the right equipment or training.
"If you have individuals in our military that are assaulting each other, the impact that has on our individuals -- each of them has a job in these squadrons," McSally said. "The impact that has on them is devastating, personally."
The Senator says she's focused on speeding up the process for victims from when it's reported, to the investigation and the prosecution.
At @DMAFB meeting with commanders working through how to address military sexual assault. pic.twitter.com/8JXmDMEoiq
— Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) April 26, 2019
"We've got to quickly identify who they are, we got to route them out," McSally said. "We've got to have due process. We got to support the victims. And we just need to be able to improve things for our military, for our teams of airmen here."
McSally says many of the bases she's visited lack the manpower that is needed for investigators and special victim's counsel. But Davis-Monthan is doing something not seen on every base -- they have medical professionals within the squadrons to help victims when they need it.
"Then they start to build rapport, and it starts to break down some barriers so that they can actually feel more comfortable to seek support or help from them," McSally said.
McSally says the Pentagon has been extremely responsive since she asked them to form a task force. She expects to get a report within the next few weeks with recommendations to stop military sexual assault.
