Pentagon approach to sexual assault 'not working': Austin

"Clearly, what we've been doing hasn't been working. One assault is too many. The numbers of sexual assaults are still too high, and the confidence in our system is still too low," Secretary Austin told lawmakers on Thursday.

"I want to be sure that whatever changes to the U.C.M.J. (Uniform Code of Military Justice) that I recommend to the president and ultimately to this committee, that they are scoped to the problem we are trying to solve, have a clear way forward on implementation, and ultimately restore the confidence of the force in the system. You have my commitment to that, and also my commitment to working expeditiously as you consider legislative proposals," he added.

Austin said he is working to "resolve and improve" the issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment.