At the direction of President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a 90-Day Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC-SAM) to conduct an impartial assessment of the military’s response to sexual assault and sexual harassment. The IRC-SAM made recommendations across four lines of effort: accountability, prevention, climate and culture, and victim care and support.

On March 27, 2019, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan released a memorandum to the Military Services establishing the Sexual Assault Accountability and Investigation Task Force (SAAITF). The SAAITF was tasked with identifying, evaluating, and recommending immediate and significant actions to improve the accountability process, specific to the investigation and disposition of cases in which members of the Armed Forces are either victims or offenders of sexual assault, while ensuring due process for both.