Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Military
The modern sexual harassment and assault era of awareness in the military can be traced back to Tailhook. The 1991 scandal erupted after over 100 Marine and Navy Corps officers were accused of sexually assaulting men and women at a Las Vegas conference. Since then, there have been several other high-profile incidents that have gone to reveal the systematic and cultural problem that has enabled sexual assault and harassment to continue across all military branches (Feitz & Nagel, 2008). Some major steps have been taken since then, with the DoD creating the Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force in 2004. The Task Force is tasked with reviewing military policies for the treatment and prevention of sexual assault. In 2013, the National Defense Authorization Act was implemented, which requires enhanced training with regard to sexual assault of members in the military service and also that anonymous crime reporting is allowed in all branches. However, sexual harassment and sexual assault continue to take place in the army, despite all the training and education that takes place.
The prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the military is rife. Many people are unaware of the military justice system workings and the ‘good soldier defense’. The military has a tendency to give successful and decorated soldiers who are accused of sexual misconduct the benefit of the doubt. The mentality in the military sets up a perfect breeding ground for a person who wants to assault their female colleagues(Andressen & Blais, 2019). 85% of rapes are by acquaintances, and service members are brainwashed into thinking that their colleagues would lay their lives for them. Additionally, race plays a big role in incidences of sexual assault. Black women are not expected to be officers and are viewed as hypersexual. This stereotype has resulted in a high number of sexual victimization (African American Policy Forum, 2016).
The current training does not reduce the risk of sexual assault and harassment because the problem is not teaching but, instead, is a societal problem. When a cadet joins the military having spent the last 20 years of his life as a racist and male chauvinist; there is not much that training can do to change that. The best analogy that comes to mind is that of a dog. A dog can be trained to sit, roll, jump through a flaming hula hoop, and even rescue its master in a dangerous situation. What never changes is the dog’s preference for beef and all things meaty. Having the perfect training curriculum will not change the innate characteristics of a person.
The good soldier mentality can only be changed if it is included in the curriculum, and no one is excluded from disciplinary action, no matter how heroic his service record paints him to be. The solution is not in training but in holding all commanders accountable. This means every commander should be held accountable through the administration of a survey that comprises the three questions in Fig. 1. below, following which any commander whose scores fail to meet an acceptable level and within a short time shall not be promoted (Grenny, 2013)
Fig.1 Three key questions. Source: Grenny (2016).
In conclusion, sexual harassment and assault in the military is a problem that has prevailed over the years and will continue to do so if precise action is not taken. Intensive training has proven not to be effective. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is unwise. It’s time for accountability and action to be taken to ensure the vice is curtailed once and for all.
References
African American Policy Forum (2016).Neglected at Home After Serving Abroad: The Story of Black Women Veterans. http://aapf.org/black-women-veterans/
Andresen, F. J., & Blais, R. K. (2019). Higher self-stigma is related to a lower likelihood of disclosing military sexual trauma during screening in female veterans. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(4), 372.
Feitz, L., & Nagel, J. (2008). The militarization of gender and sexuality in the Iraq War. In Women in the Military and in Armed Conflict (pp. 201-225). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Grenny, J (2013). How to End Sexual Abuse in the Military. http://nation.time.com/2013/05/17/how-to-end-sexual-abuse-in-the-military/
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Question 
Write a 2-page essay addressing SHARP from within the Army and making recommendations on how leaders at the sergeant level can implement potential solutions. Your essay should address the question,
Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Military
“Why do cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault continue to take place in the army despite all the training and education that take place?”.