The Department of Defense has invested 200 million dollars in sexual harassment and rape
prevention over the last eight to ten years. The unfortunate problem is the number of reports
continue to increase. The military has two types of reports for Rape cases restricted, and
unrestricted. Restricted means it is reported in confidentiality, and unrestricted is requesting all
support through military law. There are also two reports for harassment formal and informal. In
2018, the Department of Defense had a 38 percent increase from the 2016 fiscal year report. Of
the number of SHARP cases that were reported, the number of unrestricted reports fell from 32
percent to 30 percent between 2016-2018. The current numbers indicate the military is not living
up to its zero-tolerance policy, and needs major reform in the way it investigates crimes, protects
victims and prosecutes assaulters when investigating the SHARP program cases. Soldiers are
losing trust in the way SHARP is handled and the military’s ability to protect victims and prosecute
their assailants. I believe the system is getting better through SHARP training and cultural
awareness. It is hard to evaluate the numbers because we do not know how many cases were never
reported.
One problem is in the low percentage of unrestricted report, this indicates troops do not
have the trust to go after their assailants. The troops need to feel full support from the chain of
command that if they report, there will be no negative retaliation against them, and the assailant
will receive a tangible punishment not a slap on the hand. The military needs to make an example
out of all SHARP cases, and show that zero tolerance is indeed zero tolerance. This will set forth
a example to all military troops that these types of actions will not be tolerated and be met with
swift heavy hand of justice. The military needs to publicize these cases while protecting the victim,
to show they are not just working on cultural change at the bottom ranks but from the top brass as
well. If no one is putting pressure on the battalion commander to put pressure on the company
commander it is often easier to sweep the case under the rug or lighten the punishment. The
military has many stiff punishments for crimes committed. SHARP Crimes should carry a much
stiffer punishment.
The first proposed change I would make to the SHARP program is to create a mobile
SHARP Reporting Application that would be external to the chain of command. The highest
statistical number comes from young lower enlisted often females who would not feel as
comfortable reporting or talking about their situation to often an older male in the unit they report
to. It would take the fear out of reporting to the unit that may have bias or friendship possibilities
with the accused. The highest number of assaults happen with young women. Another Battalion
SHARP or SARC or Jag – personnel should receive the report. I believe the situation should be
evaluated and the best possible advice be given to the troop prior to making any report. The highest
level of pressure should be applied to on the chain of command to ensure proper handling and
follow through on actions for both the accuser and the accused. There needs to be extreme
examples of punishment for the assailant, and support shown for the reporting soldier, in order to
show troops, they will be supported if they report and will not be retaliated against. A unit is more
likely to try to cover up a situation, or make it go away if the situation is unknown to very many
people. An outside investigator is more likely to increase the chance of a positive outcome.
One of the problems is when no report is filed, or it is restricted. The perpetrator gets away
with a crime, and also is able to continue to further their military career. They often feel like their
rank will protect them, and may become a repeat offender. They will continue to move up the
chain of command and can become more intimidating with more rank. Not all victims want to
relive or go through the trauma of assault or harassment. The accusers may not be able or feel
comfortable enough to come forward in a public setting, we need to have an alternative plan in
place.
The next change I would recommend is to add an identification to your enlisted records
brief. The military has a medical identification block on the ERB called pulleys identification. This
is used by the unit to be able to judge medical readieness. If the military added an additional Block
encompassing reports of SHARP and EO complaints. The current way is if a compliant happened
and the supervisor knew about it he would identify it on your NCOER report but if it is never
reported or is restricted then it will not follow the purpitrator. By adding a identifier block a repet
offender could be tracked for example, if there were 4 restricted reports on an individual, it would
show the promotion board a pattern of potential problems. If they had one report over a 15 year
span it could show it may be a discrepancy. Your promotion packet is often evaluated by a panel
of peers that all have their own opinions and would be able to make better decisions on
advancement for troops that are doing the right thing, or hold back troops who are not folling the
rules. It could possibly prevent a soldier from being promoted to a position in the company based
on the number of reports. Having the restricted reports documented would allow a sense of justice
for the victim, and allow units and commanders to better gauge the troops.
The Department of Defense has done a great job in ensuring soldiers know about SHARP
and understand what they can and can not do in regard to sexual harassment and rape. On the same
token, they have not handled these cases properly, and ensured the soldiers feel as though they can
safely report an incident and have it be followed up on properly. This is why the small changes
outlined above would put more attention on the cases and better ensure victims rights. It would put
more pressure on the chain of command to do the right thing when a situation occurs. The military
is constantly evolving to get better. We also have to make sure it is not eroding in certain areas
that can destroy a units morale, cohesion, and ability to perform on the battlefield.
. Mandatory follow up from commander on soldier reporting. No retaliations, nor negative
impact. Enhance accountability of Soldiers loosely trust due to ineffectiveness of the program, and
the manpower in wrong categories. Higher priority in tracking SHARP complaints/ reduce distrust.
It is not 100 percent known how the system is doing, because we do not have the numbers
from the troops that have stayed silent. It is very possible that through all the SHARP training over
the years and cultural change, things are beginning to improve
command.