The Thirty-First Public Meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces was held on Tuesday, September 19th and Wednesday, September 20th, 2023.

Arlington, VA - The thirty-first public meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces ("DAC-IPAD" or "the Committee"), was held on Tuesday, September 19th, 2023 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. and Wednesday, September 20th, 2023 from 8:25 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The DAC-IPAD was established by the Secretary of Defense in February 2016, in accordance with section 546 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, as amended. The Committee is tasked to advise the Secretary of Defense on the investigation, prosecution, and defense of allegations of rape, forcible sodomy, sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct involving members of the Armed Forces based on its review of such cases on an ongoing basis.

On Tuesday, September 19th, the Committee heard from representatives from the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice on the recent military justice Executive Order; representatives from the Offices of Special Trial Counsel to provide an update on their new programs and policies; and a panel of former general court-martial convening authorities to provide their perspectives on the adequacy of the current Article 25, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) criteria and the panel selection process. On Wednesday, September 20th, Committee members who have observed courts-martial discussed their observations. The Committee received a staff briefing about the sexual assault case adjudication data collection project in progress for cases closed in FY2021 and FY2022; deliberated on the proposed findings and recommendation options presented from the Article 25, UCMJ, panel selection study; deliberated on the proposed findings and recommendations for the Section 549B report on victims’ access to information; received an update from the Case Review Subcommittee on panel selection data collection; and received a staff presentation on the Military Departments’ biennial collateral misconduct data. Prior to adjournment, the Committee heard public comment and then conducted a meeting wrap-up and preview of its next public meeting. 

The DAC-IPAD welcomes written input from the public on this topics or other issues under its consideration. Written comments must be received by the DAC-IPAD at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting date so that they may be made available to the Committee members for their consideration prior to the meeting. Written comments should be submitted via e-mail to the DAC-IPAD at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that since the DAC-IPAD operates under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, all written comments will be treated as public documents and will be made available for public inspection. The Committee will not receive oral statements from the public at this meeting.

More information about the Committee, including the meeting agenda and materials, is available on its website at http://dacipad.whs.mil. In the event the Office of Personnel Management closes the government due to inclement weather or for any other reason, please consult the website for any changes to public meeting dates or time.