Gillibrand Defends Sexual Assault Victims in Front of Senate Panel

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the newly named chair of the senate armed services subcommittee on personnel, pressed military officials for answers on sexual assault Wednesday.

During her first hearing as subcommittee chair and the first senate hearing on the issue in nearly a decade.

"If you think you are achieving discipline and order with your current convening authority framework I am sorry to say you are wrong," she said. "And every victim that has come in front of this committee and every story that we have heard over the weeks and months shows that we have not even begun to address this problem."

There were 3,000 sexual assault cases reported in 2011. Severely under-reported, according to defense department estimates, actual cases approach 19,000.