Four new Offices of Special Trial Counsel will now consider several serious crimes, removing those prosecutions from the military chain of command, DOD announced last week. The OSTCs are housed within the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. They report directly to military service secretaries.

“The OSTCs will handle cases professionally, applying the best practices and procedures of civilian prosecution offices,” a senior DOD official said.

The charges under OSTCs’ authority include murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, domestic violence, stalking, child pornography and most sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Sexual harassment will become a covered offense next year.

“This reform aims to help strengthen accountability and increase all of our service members’ trust in the fairness and integrity of the military justice system,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

DOD photo by Air Force Senior Airman Cesar J. Navarro