Army Sharp Essay Example

The purpose of this essay is to discuss why cases of SHARP is growing and why Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment is an ongoing occurrence. As of May 13th, 2021, The U.S Department of Defense received a total of 7,816 reports in the 2020 fiscal year alone (www.Defense.gov). Sexual harassment and sexual assault are still growing day by day. The Army implemented training and education to help minimize numbers and cases of sexual assault. Cases continue to grow due to lack of support and trust; those being uneducated about available resources and various other reasons not limited to fear.

Sexual assault has been an ongoing issue. Incidents have been going unreported due to a lack of support and trust. Soldiers cannot confide in leadership because they fear that their allegations will go unheard. Leadership today is too comfortable, and Soldiers do not respect the rank structure. Everyone knows everyone's business. I feel like when any incident is report affiliation to unit or chain of command. When you have a SHARP and Equal Opportunity representative that has zero ties to the unit there is no negative and one-sided mindset. SHARP is always going to happen since we are not in control of people's actions. People are going to drink regardless of the policy that is in place and act upon their impulses.

As the Army continues to train Soldiers on sexual assault, the growing number of reports of sexual assault is due to the training's effectiveness. Soldiers are now aware of the reporting options and how to handle sexual assault. Furthermore, Soldiers now know how to report sexual assault hence the growing numbers. The Army implements pieces of training and procedures to try to reduce the risk of sexual assault and harassment. Just because we have training and procedures on the matter will not reduce the risk. I feel like my unit uses SHARP classes as a band-aid to cover the unit overall. Classes taught at unit level are not taken seriously and are only given when an event has occurred in the battalion.

The U.S. Department of Defense cites an article from Dr. Nathan W. Galbreath, deputy director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, who noted that 1 in 3 Military members now report their sexual assaults, compared to about 1 in 14, in 2006. In a study conducted by Military research firm RAND Corporation on behalf of the Department of Defense, 62 percent of service members who reported sexual assault faced some form of retaliation from their peers. Reports go unreported because higher-ups (First Sergeant and Commander) can be the ones doing the assault. In the 738th engineer company under the 416th. Specialist Joachimstaler was taping and measure fellow Soldiers for a new uniform. Captain Andrew Johnson and First Sergeant Michael Pike walked into the room and instructed two other soldiers to leave. Once the Soldiers left the room, First Sergeant Pike told Specialist Joachimstaler "I wanted to see how you tape a female" after that comment First Sergeant Pike and Captain Johnson began to laugh as Specialist Joachimstaler started taken measurements and made inappropriate jokes about the Solider appearance. Specialist Pence, still in the room, felt uncomfortable decided to report the incident to the Captain second in command who was the First Lieutenant however since Pence believe nothing was going to happen, she reports through the SHARP office (www.taskandpurpose.com)

Sexual assault is still occurring every day in today's world, even though there is more discussion of it. People are starting to speak up about it more, but we have not reached a point where a solution is available. Sexual violence in the Military will not end entirely. We can continue implementing training and procedures to educate Soldiers on The SHARP programs available. We cannot control other people's way of thinking. I believe that survivors should be listened to when they have the courage to say, "I am one of them." We need to fight for those who cannot. We must make a change. In the words of Alex Elle, "You're not a victim for sharing your story. You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth. And you never know who needs your light, your warmth, and raging courage."