The accession of Finland and Sweden, historically neutral nations, is expected to transform Europe’s security landscape for years to come. Their armed forces and geography would seriously complicate any further aggression Russia might want to try in the region, defense officials and national security experts say.
The chief trial counsel described the sentence as a win for the military justice system, and said the court-martial should prove to sexual assault survivors that their attackers would be held accountable, no matter their rank.
“[I] kissed you in an uninvited way … for my own selfish ego,” Maj. Gen. Bill Cooley said in a written apology from 2018 that the prosecution cited in court.
“How could Bill do this to us? How is this possible?” Maj. Gen. Bill Cooley's brother, a civilian Air Force employee, testified at the two-star's court-martial Wednesday.
“It’s difficult to pick a jury from a pool of officers whose career progression depends on the approval of a Senate that expends significant energy excoriating them about sexual assault," defense attorney Daniel Conway said.