华盛顿——国会派总统乔·拜登周三，一项7682亿美元的国防法案对军方处理性侵犯的方式进行了里程碑式的改变，将女性排除在征兵范围之外，并为在国家广场上建立新的战争纪念碑奠定了基础。
几十年来，这项年度法案每年都在众议院和参议院获得通过，但由于各种争议，该法案在参议院被推迟，包括阻止中国维吾尔族强迫劳动生产的商品进入美国的单独努力。这项措施现在也正走向最终批准和拜登的办公桌。
周三，参议院以88票对11票通过了国防法案。
该立法包括对军人和国防部文职人员加薪2.7%，并授权7530万美元用于武装部队退休之家的运营。它还授权99亿美元用于该法案传统管辖范围之外的国防需求，使总价格达到7770亿美元。
新的战争纪念碑将纪念那些在全球反恐战争中服役的人，这场战争是为了回应2001年9月11日对美国的袭击而发起的
参议院军事委员会民主党主席、资深共和党人、罗德岛州参议员杰克·里德(Jack Reed)和俄克拉荷马州参议员詹姆斯·殷霍夫(James)发表联合声明，称赞法案通过，这是分裂的国会中难得的礼让时刻。
殷霍夫说:“这项法案向我们的盟友发出了一个明确的信息，即美国仍然是一个可靠、可信的伙伴，也向我们的对手发出了一个明确的信息，即美国军队已经做好准备，完全有能力捍卫我们在世界各地的利益。”。
里德说，美国面临“一系列巨大的安全挑战，我们比以往任何时候都更需要为我们的军人提供他们需要的支持，以确保美国人的安全。”
周三投票反对该法案的参议员包括六名民主党人、三名共和党人和一名独立人士。
民主党反对票中包括纽约州参议员柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德(Kirsten Gillibrand)，她一直在敦促军方进一步改变处理性侵犯指控的方式，但却看到她的修正案被从最终法案中删除。
根据国防部的记录，改变军方对强奸和其他性侵犯的起诉的努力多年来一直在加强，同时报告的案件也在增加，包括2018年上升13%，2019年上升3%。
根据国防法案的修订，军方将从指挥官手中接管起诉性侵犯案件的一些权力，转而使用独立检察官。
吉利布兰德希望这些案件完全脱离指挥链，她称法案的最终修改和她的修正案的遗漏“损害了我们的服务成员和我们的民主。”
两党参议员描述了美国面临的广泛挑战，包括令人不安的美军撤离阿富汗和与中国的持续竞争，以及加强与全球盟友联盟的必要性。
根据俄亥俄州参议员罗布·波特曼和新罕布什尔州参议员珍妮·沙欣的说法，乌克兰安全倡议获得了额外的资金。他们说，随着乌克兰政府面临俄罗斯的侵略，至少有7500万美元可用于致命援助。
最终结果还取消了一项让女性登记参加该草案的条款，该条款遭到了许多保守派共和党议员的反对。
殷霍夫指出，该立法还“防止服役人员因拒绝冠状病毒疫苗而被不光彩地开除——在关键时刻也是如此”，指的是本周的第一次开除。
国防法案还开始为新的全球反恐战争纪念馆制定计划，这将是国家广场的最新扩建。这项立法提出了三个可能的纪念地。
Senate sends Biden big defense bill, plans new war memorial
WASHINGTON -- Congress sent PresidentJoe Bidena $768.2 billion defense bill on Wednesday that makes landmark changes to the way the military handles sexual assaults, keeps women out of the draft and lays the groundwork for a new war memorial on the National Mall.
The annual bill, which has passed both the House and Senate every year for decades without fail, nevertheless was delayed in the Senate by various disputes, including a separate effort to halt goods produced by forced Uyghur labor in China from entering the U.S. That measure also is now headed toward final approval and Biden’s desk.
The evenly divided Senate approved the defense bill Wednesday on a robust 88-11 bipartisan vote.
The legislation includes a 2.7% pay raise for both military servicemembers and the civilian Defense Department workforce, and authorizes $75.3 million for the operation of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. It also authorizes $9.9 billion for defense needs outside the bill's traditional jurisdiction, bringing the overall price tag to $777 billion.
The new war memorial would honor those who served in the Global War on Terrorism, launched in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.
The Democratic chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, issued a joint statement praising passage, a rare moment of comity in the divided Congress.
“This bill sends a clear message to our allies — that the United States remains a reliable, credible partner — and to our adversaries — that the U.S. military is prepared and fully able to defend our interests around the world,” Inhofe said.
Reed said the nation faces “an enormous range of security challenges, and it is more important than ever that we provide our military men and women with the support they need to keep Americans safe.”
Those senators voting against the bill Wednesday included six Democrats, three Republicans and one independent.
Among the Democratic no votes was New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has been pressing for further changes to the way the military deals with sexual assault allegations, only to see her amendment stripped from the final bill.
Efforts to change the military's prosecution of rape and other sexual assaults have been building for years, alongside the rise in reported cases, including a 13% jump in 2018 and a 3% increase in 2019, according to Defense Department records.
Under the revisions spelled out in the defense bill, the military will take some authority for prosecuting sexual assault cases out of the hands of commanders and instead use independent prosecutors.
Gillibrand wanted the cases fully removed from the chain of the command, and she has called the final changes to the bill and omission of her amendment a “disservice to our service members and our democracy."
Senators from both parties have described the wide-ranging challenges facing the nation, including the troubling withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and ongoing competition with China, as well as the need to shore up alliances with allies around the globe.
Additional funds were authorized for a Ukraine security initiative, according to Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. They said at least $75 million would be available for lethal assistance as the Ukrainian government faces Russian aggression.
The final product also scrapped a provision to have women register for the draft, which was opposed by many conservative Republican lawmakers.
Inhofe noted that the legislation also “prevents service members from being dishonorably discharged for refusing the coronavirus vaccine — in the nick of time too,” referring to the first discharges this week.
The defense bill also begins to lay out plans for the new Global War on Terror Memorial, which would be the latest addition to the National Mall. The legislation proposes three potential sites for the memorial.
